A Christmasjumper is a top pulled over the head to cover the torso and arms, themed with a Christmas or winter-style design. These jumpers are often knitted. A more traditional approach is often a roll neck top-pulled garment.
History
In the United Kingdom, Christmas jumpers became popular during the 1980s after a variety of television presenters such as Gyles Brandreth and Timmy Mallett began wearing them during the Christmas holidays. In particular, their popularity may be attributed to the influence of singers such as Andy Williams and Val Doonican, who appeared in these type of jumpers in their television Christmas specials. In Ireland, The Late Late Show's host wears an extravagant jumper for the Christmas Late Late Toy Show. They are often seen as a hand-made present knitted by an elderly relative that are given as a Christmas present. During the 1990s and 2000s they were seen as gag gifts and fell out of favour and featured as something to be embarrassed by as in the 2001 filmBridget Jones's Diary. They gained camp appeal during the 2010s, with online retailerAmazon reporting an increase in sales of 600% in 2011, and the trend has been followed by a number of celebrities. Ugly Christmas Sweater Contests are held annually in the United States. In 2012, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph described them as "this season's must have", with retailer Topman selling 34 different designs alone and reporting sales had increased 54% compared to 2011. Higher end fashion labels have also produced Christmas jumpers, including Burberry and Jil Sander, and even metal bandSlayer released one as part of their merchandise range. The charity Save the Children runs an annual Christmas Jumper Day each year in December using the slogan "Make the world better with a sweater". It encourages people to raise money for the charity by wearing their Christmas jumpers on a specific day. The New York Times reported in 2012 that a major venue for sweater sales are independent company websites, with ugly-sweater themed names. A survey conducted in 2012 showed that 41% of the British population owned a Christmas-themed jumper, which increased to 50% within London and Wales.
