How To Jazz Up Your Old Christmas Jumper

The quirkier, the better. Once considered a bit of an eyesore, somehow Christmas sweaters have become more acceptable. A popular purchase among Brits and Americans because of their enjoyment of quirky and playful humour, Christmas Jumpers might be embroidered with reindeer, snowflakes, a cheerful Father Christmas, or even packed with sounds and lights. 

Unconventional Christmas jumper ideas

But what if you feel bored with the usual pattern and don’t want to look like a frumpy lady? Skip the high-street retailers, search for a funny one in a second-hand shop or simply revamp your old winter woolly. In this way, you will not only pay a tribute to your own taste but you will also save the planet.

Research by the environmental charity Hubbub revealed 12m jumpers are set to be snapped up this year, despite 65m already languishing in UK wardrobes and most new sweaters contain plastic. Its analysis of 108 garments on sale this year from 11 high street and online retailers – including Primark, George at Asda and Topshop/Topman – found that 95% of the jumpers were made wholly or partly of plastic materials. The charity said the garment had become one of the worst examples of fast fashion, now recognised as hugely damaging to the environment.

So, instead of purchasing a new Christmas jumper this year, why not decorate a jumper or cardigan that you already have? Sometimes adding a piece of felt and some trimmings or simply pinning on some holly-like a brooch, can make wonders. But you can also turn your jumper into a statement piece. 

Christmas time is a brilliant opportunity to subvert the merriment we’re all being sold and relieve the pressure to enjoy ourselves – Suzi Warren, artist and founder of Twisted Twee said-. I’ve held ‘Tasteless Christmas Jumper Workshops’ over the past few weeks where people can bring their ordinary tasteful jumpers along to convert into spectacularly tasteless ones with messages of gloom and despondency. ‘This is costing a fortune’, ‘Don’t feel obliged to stay’, ‘Can I stop smiling yet?’… you get the idea. 

So, get the gripes, the niggles, and neuroses out of your head and onto your outfit, wear your misgivings on your sleeve, share and enjoy. According to Suzi:

If you have an existing Christmas jumper that you want to give a twist to, add words. Just cut them out of felt and sew them on, or buy iron-on patches and cut them from that. Add speech bubbles to Santas and snowmen, ’This will end in tears’, ‘My job sucks’, ‘I can’t wait to melt’. The grumpier the better in my view. Or if you just have a nice plain jumper, adding, ‘Tasteless Christmas Jumper’ to it will theme it perfectly. My other half is terrible at receiving gifts, so I made him a jumper that says, ‘Thank you. I hate it.’ And true to form, he hates it. 

Christmas Jumpers for a good cause

Whether you love it or simply can’t stand it, you have a good reason for wearing one: on Christmas Jumper Day, the 13th of December, everyone wins! 

In Uk, the annual tradition sees everyone from your kids to your friends wearing the most eye-catching festive garments that they can find to raise money and awareness for children who are in need, donating some money towards Save the Children. If you’d like, you could also raise even more money by setting up a fundraising page online. You can do this by visiting their website on justgiving.com and virginmoneygiving.com, or by signing up for Christmas Jumper Day at christmasjumperday.org. For some tips on how you can raise as much money as possible on Christmas Jumper Day, the charity has provided an online fundraising pack with all the information that you need.