I can appreciate or disregard various aspects of Microsoft’s actions regarding Windows 11 at present, but I generally look forward to the company’s annual limited-time holiday sweater launches. Typically designed around a particular image or product from the company’s nostalgic ’90s-and-early-2000s era—2022 saw a Clippy-themed sweater, while 2023 featured the Windows XP Bliss wallpaper transformed into sweater form—the sweaters tend to embody the perfect mix of quirky/cute/recognizable that makes for an engaging holiday party discussion starter.
Microsoft is bringing back the tradition for 2025 after skipping a year, and the design for this year’s premier $80 sweater largely aligns with the company’s previous creations. The 2025 “Artifact Holiday Sweater” brings back several pixelated icons that users from Windows 3.1 to XP will identify, including Notepad, Reversi, Paint, MS-DOS, Internet Explorer, and even the MSN butterfly emblem. Clippy is, once again, prominently featured, appearing delighted to be part of the design.
Not all icons are drawn from Microsoft’s earlier days; an emoji sporting sunglasses, a “50” designed in the manner of the classic flying Windows symbol (celebrating Microsoft’s 50th anniversary), and a Minecraft Creeper face all reference the company’s contemporary products. However, the only element I truly take issue with appears on the right sleeve, where Microsoft has placed a pixelated monochrome icon representing its Copilot AI assistant.
