The History of the Christmas Jumper
Christmas jumpers are one of the best things about the run up to the big day. As the weather turns colder, nothing is better for keeping us warm and feeling festive. There’s even a Christmas Jumper Day (Friday 10th December in 2021) for charity, so there’s no excuse not to wrap up and get the Santa hat on as well.
But when did we start wearing Christmas jumpers? The term used to mean the lovingly hand-knitted (if hideous) items our grannies used to make for us every year, and we definitely didn’t want to wear those with the same enthusiasm as we do today.
The history of Traditional Christmas jumpers can be traced back to 19th century Scandinavia, where thick, warm, brightly coloured jumpers were ideal for staving off the chill of winter. Closely related to the Fair Isle geometric patterns worn by fishermen (reputedly to assist in the identification of sailors lost at sea), these Scandinavian sweaters were rapidly adopted by skiers. Popular patterns included suggestions of the Scandinavian landscapes, and particularly some of the shapes and colours we think of with traditional Christmas jumpers today. They even became symbols of an affluent, jet-set lifestyle for tourists returning from skiing holidays!
When the first breakfast television programmes launched on BBC and ITV in the early 1980s, we welcomed the presenters into our homes almost as one of the family. As we munched through tea and toast, they brought us the news and weather, and even “the only rat ever to join a sinking ship”, the beloved Roland Rat, who garnered an army of ratfans and is credited with saving ITV’s breakfast venture.
They were also part of our lives at Christmas – Gyles Brandreth was known for some particularly garish examples. The Christmas style icon owned 38 at the time of a Telegraph interview in 2014, and has probably added a few more by now.
The profoundly annoying and entertaining in equal measure host of Wacaday, Timmy Mallett, was also known for some particularly striking ensembles during December. Evening presenters with comfortable and familiar shows were also guilty, with the essential for Christmas Val Doonican popularising festive winter wear for men.
With the 1990s came Cool Britannia, and the Christmas jumper with Santa, Christmas trees, or Rudolph became naff, and the stuff of unwanted knitwear from elderly relatives once again. The likes of Noel Edmonds still ploughed on, with his “Noel’s Christmas Presents” show, a staple of Christmas Day from 1989 to 1999 on the BBC. The baton was picked up in several popular 1980s and 1990s Christmas films, however – the Griswolds hark back to the geometric Scandinavian patterns in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The same goes for Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) in Home Alone in 1990. 1990s Christmas jumpers seem notable by their Scandinavian chic on both sides of the Atlantic. In fact, we don’t get a return to the truly fantastic and over the top designs until Colin Firth’s Christmas jumper in the first Bridget Jones film in 2001.
If you wanted an indication of just how much the popularity of the Christmas jumper has soared in the past decade, just look at George at Asda’s sales figures; in 2012, they produced two designs, and sold 2,500 jumpers. Just four years later, they were producing 50 different styles, with sales of over half a million.
It’s thought that around one in five people will put on a festive jumper on Christmas Day, and for some, the more over the top the better, including fairy lights, baubles, and other 3D elements. It’s likely that the future will see jumpers with fibre optics controlled by phone apps, which will really kick the festive season off in style!
You don’t have to wait until Christmas Day to wear your jumper, however. There’s nothing more appropriate to wear for a live video call with Santa Claus from the North Pole, and Santa loves to see the whole family entering into the festive spirit and getting ready to celebrate Christmas together.
Booking is open to arrange a time for Santa to call you, so grab your timeslot now to avoid disappointment. Don’t forget, if the little ones are nervous about speaking to the big man, Mrs Claus or one of Santa’s Elves can call instead, and will be more than happy to pass on any special requests for Christmas. All we need at Santa’s Calling You are a few details such as names and ages, and we’ll do the rest. If you’d like a lasting reminder of your special call from Santa Claus, we can send you a recording via email within seven days for you to keep for a small extra charge. We have a few new add-ons this year to make Christmas even more special, so don’t forget to check them out on the bookings page.
Although Santa is back face to face this year, a Zoom call with Santa Claus is the perfect way to have a cosy family start to the festive season.
