Christmas jumper ideas: 45 outfits for Jumper Day and the office party

Christmas Jumper Day lands on the second Friday of December, and most people remember about it on the Thursday night. This list is grouped by how much time you've got, so you can start from the panic end if that's where you are.

We don't sell jumpers - we make cards, badges and party bits - so nothing here is a pitch. It's just what actually works in an office, at a family do or down the pub.

If you're buying cards at the same time, ours are drawn in house, printed in the UK and posted first class with a kraft envelope.

Funny Christmas jumper ideas

• A sprout with a face and the line "here we go again".
• Elf on a shelf, literally - a felt shelf sewn on with an elf sat on it.
• "Fleece Navidad" with a sheep on the front.
• A jumper that just says "this is my Christmas jumper" in plain text.
• Reindeer with a red nose made from a pom-pom you can honk.
• Snowman mid-melt, captioned "same".
• "Sleigh my name" for anyone who'll get the joke.
• Turkey in sunglasses, captioned "not today".
• A Christmas pudding with a cocktail umbrella in it.
• Baubles arranged so the jumper reads as a very rude face from a distance. Check with your boss first.

DIY jumpers you can make in an evening

• Plain jumper plus a hot-glued tinsel wreath around the neckline.
• Green jumper, safety-pinned baubles and a star on your head: you're the tree.
• White jumper with cotton wool clouds and felt snowflakes.
• Red jumper, black felt belt and a gold buckle: instant Santa.
• Sew a small stocking to the front and hand out sweets from it all day.
• Fairy lights (battery pack in your pocket) stitched loosely across a dark jumper.
• Felt letters spelling "bah humbug" for the office cynic.
• Pom-poms glued in rows: a very cheap, very effective bauble jumper.
• Old jumper, fabric pen, one badly drawn reindeer. The worse the better.
• Fake snow made from cotton pads across the shoulders.

Office-safe Christmas jumpers

• Fair isle knit in one colour - festive without being a costume.
• A single small embroidered tree on the chest. Shop this card
• Navy or grey with subtle snowflakes, so it works on a video call.
• Charity Christmas Jumper Day jumper, badge on, donation done.
• Plain red or green with a Christmas pin badge instead of a print.
• Reindeer print in muted colours rather than neon.
• Anything without sound effects, flashing lights or a joke you'd have to explain to HR.

Couples and family matching jumpers

• Milk and cookies.
• Naughty and nice, and let people guess which is which.
• Turkey and stuffing.
• Salt and pepper, but in tinsel.
• Whole family as the nativity, one character each.
• Matching fair isle in the same colour, different sizes - the photo everyone actually keeps.
• Mr and Mrs Claus for the couple who commit fully.
• Dog jumper to match the family set, if the dog will allow it.

Kids' Christmas jumper ideas

• Reindeer with antlers made from stuffed brown tights.
• Snowman with a real carrot nose sewn on. Replaceable, thankfully.
• Christmas tree with velcro baubles they can rearrange all day. Shop this card
• Elf jumper with a felt collar and bells on the cuffs.
• Penguin in a scarf, warm and easy to wash.
• Gingerbread person with icing piped in fabric paint.
• Star jumper - one big gold star, made in ten minutes.

Last-minute jumpers with almost no effort

• Any red jumper plus a Christmas pin badge.
• Tinsel wrapped twice round the neck like a scarf.
• Plain jumper with a bauble hooked through the collar.
• Reindeer antlers on your head and no jumper commitment at all.
• Borrow last year's from a relative and claim it's vintage.

Shop Christmas cards

Party supplies

Banners, cake toppers and confetti for the office do.

How to write it so it lands

• Glue-gun anything heavy on the front, then hand-stitch the edges so it survives one wash.
• Battery packs for fairy lights go in a pocket, never taped to the inside of the jumper.
• Buy a size up if you're adding stuffing or pom-poms - it pulls the fit in.
• Charity shops from late November are the cheapest source of a base jumper.

Where to shop next

• Christmas card messages
• What to write in a Christmas card
• Buy Christmas cards online
• Christmas cards
• Pin badges
• Party supplies
• Autumn card ideas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

When is Christmas Jumper Day 2026?

Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day is held on the second Friday of December, which is 11 December in 2026. Plenty of workplaces run their own on the last working day before the break instead.

How do you make a Christmas jumper?

Start with a plain jumper and add one big idea rather than lots of small ones: a hot-glued tinsel wreath, safety-pinned baubles, felt letters or a stitched-on stocking. An evening and under a tenner is enough.

What's a good office Christmas jumper?

Something festive you could still take a client call in - a single embroidered tree, muted fair isle, or a plain colour with a Christmas pin badge. Skip flashing lights and any joke you'd have to explain.

Do you sell Christmas jumpers?

Not at the moment - we make cards, badges and party decorations, designed in house and printed in the UK. If we add jumpers, they'll appear on the Christmas pages first.

What can I wear if I've forgotten Christmas Jumper Day?

A red jumper with a Christmas pin badge, tinsel worn as a scarf, or a bauble hooked through your collar. Nobody checks the knitting.