With temperatures dropping, advent calendars selling out fast and wishlists to write, Christmas is just around the corner. As well as enjoying all the delicious festive food and drink and getting glammed up for party season, this time of year is also about snuggling up in cosy knitwear.
Ever since December 2012, Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day has become a diary date to mark, too. As the name suggests, this annual event is a day to wear a festive jumper and donate to the charity. This year, Christmas Jumper Day lands on 12 December, giving us plenty of time to plan our outfits.
The countdown to Christmas conjures up fair isle cosiness, sparkly picks, and novelty patterns. Whether you’re already in the mood for the festive season, are shopping for matching family Christmas jumpers or are seeking a glittery knit to celebrate, as always, our expert shopping team is here to help.
We’ve put a plethora of perfect Christmas jumpers to the test, from jazzy knits to classic options, for men, women, and kids. There are timeless Christmas jumper options from The White Company and M&S, family line-ups from Tu Clothing, party knitwear from Karen Millen and Baukjen, and versatile options from Barbour and Free People.
Look no further to get in the festive spirit and choose your Christmas jumper for 2024.
How we tested
We spent several weeks reviewing a range of Christmas jumpers that suit men, women, and kids. Our testing team wore the jumpers during the day and as evening wear, dressing them up or down. We looked at jumper composition, fit, comfort and design, and chose a varied selection to suit all price points and style preferences.
The best Christmas jumpers for 2024 are:
Tu Clothing matching family women’s Christmas checkerboard jumper
For a vibrant Christmas jumper that adds an instantly festive element to any outfit, this checkerboard design delivers. Featuring green, pink and red Christmas trees, it’s bold and bright in the best way. Not only did we find it comfortable and warm, but we were also pleased by the novelty knit’s affordable price tag.
For some extra festive fun, there are designs for all the family, including kids (£14, Tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk), men’s (£22, Tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk) and even baby pyjamas (£15, Tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk).
Buy now £22.00, Tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk
New Camp Ltd family novelty Christmas jumper
Looking to get the whole family to wear a matching Christmas jumper? This novelty red, green and white number is the perfect option, coming in a broad range of sizes, from kids up to adults.
Emblazoned with reindeer and Christmas trees, this crew neck has a classic festive feel – from the moment we put it on, we felt immediately cheerful and our tester’s son has enjoyed sporting the knit too, proving it really is one for all the family. In terms of sizing, we found the fit is true to size.
Buy now £14.95, Amazon.co.uk
Marks & Spencer pure cotton fair isle Christmas jumper
This is a brilliant festive jumper for dog lovers, which features dachshunds in Christmas hats. As well as the four-legged friends, there is a zig-zag fair isle print, and the green, white, and red colourway offers a classic, non-garish way to tap into the festive fun. The ribbed crew neck and sleeves are a nice detail, and we found the jumper comfortable when worn over a shirt and on its own. More importantly though, it washes well, retaining its quality after a gentle cycle in the machine.
Buy now £28.00, Marksandspencer.com
Free People festive frost jumper
As Christmas jumpers go, this is certainly more fashion-forward, yet it still fits the brief thanks to its fair isle print. The beautiful baby blue jumper has a slouchy fit that instantly adds style points, and we appreciated its oversized sleeve and casual shape. Of course, it is also cosy too – with a fluffy, tactile design that is perfect for hunkering down in during the festive season. We’ve been wearing it with everything from tailored trousers to joggers, as well as over dresses.
Buy now £140.00, Freepeople.com
The White Company organic cotton jingles jumper
A sweet Christmas jumper for little ones, the design features embroidered reindeer antlers and eyes on the front finished off with a tactile pom-pom nose that younger kids (and parents) will love. We liked the simple yet festive design, and the contrasting white cuff and base trim. And, as you’d expect from the brand, it’s super-soft and we found it has enough stretch for putting it on little ones without a struggle. Consider this your little one’s Christmas Day outfit sorted.
Buy now £34.00, Thewhitecompany.com
PO.P friendly fox kids jumper
We were pleasantly surprised at how soft this cotton knit was, which is of course essential when shopping for little ones. Plus, it has decent stretch, making it easy to get on and off, but it didn’t lose its shape.
Owing to the design being more subtle, this is a great pick if you’re looking for a versatile piece that they can wear long after the Christmas period. Should you want something a little more festive though, it also comes in green fair isle print and reindeer design too.
Buy now £35.00, Polarnopyret.co.uk
Barbour Helen fair isle roll-neck jumper
If you’re on the hunt for a festive jumper that can be worn for Christmas and beyond, turn to this design, which features a lovely pink, brown and blue pattern. With brown in vogue this season, it’s bang on trend, but also extremely comfortable and cosy – we appreciated the wool fabric for providing a decent layer of warmth. It slotted into our wardrobe nicely, pairing well with everything from jeans to joggers, as well as over sparkly ensembles.
Barbour’s winter jumper range is vast, so if you favour monochrome, turn to the timeless black and white jacquard Paulette crew knit (£99.95, Barbour.com).
Buy now £99.95, Barbour.com
Karen Millen embellished trim cosy knit jumper
For a touch of sparkle, look no further than this embellished knit. Adorned with crystals on the shoulders, arms, and neckline, it serves as the perfect partywear piece when worn with leather trousers or your favourite skirt. The touch of glitz is balanced out by the slouchy, comfy fit, which offers an effortless look.
As for the fabric, we were initially concerned that it would be itchy against the skin, but in fact found it to be the opposite and super soft, meaning we could wear it without any layers underneath.
A word of warning, this is hand wash only, but that’s a small price to pay for such a fun piece. Plus, it also comes with spare crystals in case any do come off when you’re partying or washing.
Buy now £95.20, Karenmillen.com
Seasalt men’s halyard fair isle jumper
A woolly red and blue fair isle jumper deserves a spot in everyone’s winter wardrobe – and we found this one to be the perfect cosy addition. Despite wearing it for a month (almost non-stop, which is a testament to its design), it retained its shape well. As with all of our top picks, it can be dressed up and down, making it ideal for work or weekend wear. We styled it over a shirt for a more formal event and chucked it on over a T-shirt for more casual affairs. It really is a great versatile piece.
Buy now £99.95, Seasaltcornwall.com
Baukjen Lyra sparkle V-neck jumper
Another glittery knit (it is Christmas, after all), this one is a subtle nod to the festive season. Made with a sparkly thread, it catches the light perfectly, making it a real party season must-have.
The relaxed design is casual yet stylish, and we found it to slot into our wardrobe seamlessly – we’ve been wearing it layered over other V-neck tops during the day and alone on a night out with a statement necklace or earrings.
For a slightly thicker sparkly knit, we’ve also been wearing the black and silver lumi sparkle stitch jumper (£179, Baukjen.com).
Buy now £179.00, Baukjen.com
Joanie Henry woodland fair isle jumper
Ideal for nature lovers, this woodland fair isle jumper is available in both festive red and green options and can be worn throughout autumn and winter. Extremely soft and comfortable, it has a nice amount of stretch to it and it fits true to size. It’s a fun pick for those who prefer a light to midweight jumper as opposed to chunky knits.
Buy now £65.00, Joanieclothing.com
The verdict: Christmas jumpers
Our best overall Christmas jumper is Tu Clothing women’s Christmas checkerboard jumper for its affordable price, fun pattern, and matching family options. Meanwhile, The White Company organic cotton jingles jumper is a sweet option for little ones with a cute design and soft material. For a classic festive knit, you could wear year-round, we are big fans of Barbour’s Helen fair isle roll-neck jumper. Finally, Baukjen’s Lyra sparkle V-neck jumper is a partywear piece which would add some festive glitter to any outfit.
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