Christmas jumper sales kick-start the Christmas shopping season online

Searches for ‘Christmas jumper’ skyrocket 136% in early November after John Lewis Christmas advert released

Christmas Jumper Hanging Ornaments made from a wool blend felt with a polyester padding
and a satin ribbon for hanging, by Cariad in Stitches where handcrafted and personalised gifts for all occasions are made in a home studio in North Nottinghamshire.   Available on The British Craft House website.

Now that Halloween and Bonfire night are behind us, it’s time to refocus our attention to Christmas.  Lately many retailers have started to show their Christmas adverts on British television and online, and these have an impact on our behaviour when it comes to Christmas gift shopping.

Analysis of Google search data reveals that online searches for ‘Christmas jumper’ in the UK skyrocketed 136% on the 5th November, within a day that British home and fashion retailer John Lewis released their Christmas advert featuring a little boy who gives a Christmas jumper to an alien girl.  Entitled "Unexpected Guest", the advert tells how a 14-year-old boy Nathan, who discovers and befriends a visiting space traveller, Skye, and introduces her to the season’s traditions on planet Earth, from decorating the tree to eating mince pies.  In the end when it is time for the alien to leave Earth, the boy gifts her a special Christmas jumper.  This non-gender-specific children's jumper sold out on the John Lewis website within an hour of the advert dropping.  It is in navy blue with green sleeves, and features a Christmas tree embellished with lights.  

Creative resource Design Bundles has revealed in a recent finding that online interest in 'Christmas jumper' skyrocketed to triple the average volume in one day, an unprecedented spike in interest for people googling Christmas jumpers in the first week of November, according to Google Trends analysis.

A spokesperson for Design Bundles, a marketplace for design resources which conducted the study, said: “The John Lewis Christmas advert never fails to signal the start of Christmas in the UK, and is a much-loved tradition for the whole country. It's fascinating to see just how this year's advert has triggered an early spike in searches for Christmas jumpers, given that Halloween is barely over. The fact that the advert itself was released by John Lewis early because of an increase in searches for Christmas-related products on the retailer's website, suggests that we may start to see the UK prepare for Christmas earlier and earlier every year". 

Meanwhile, fair isle jumpers remain a favourite for Christmas gifting, and this tradition continues this season.

Christmas "dinosaur" jumpers for all in the family available at London's National History Museum online.

Over at the Natural History Museum in London, festive dinosaurs Christmas jumper which comes in different sizes so you can dress the whole family from children to adults in matching style. 

What’s more, this British-made Christmas jumper, is knitted from 100% recycled yarn by a small, family-owned business that designs and manufactures knitwear in Leicester, with a focus on reducing its carbon footprint.

The navy, red, green and white pattern features snowflakes, fir trees - and everyone's favourite dinosaurs: Triceratops, Stegosaurus, T. rex and Diplodocus. Even the Museum's famous Hans Sloane nautilus shell appears along the hem and cuffs. 

The material used to make the jumpers is certified by the Global Recycling Standards (GRS) for its 100% recycled contents - a blend of 60% recycled cotton and 40% recycled polyester, the latter made from locally recycled plastic bottles.

Elsewhere, the Faraway Gang offers children's knitwear with a slow fashion approach.

The Faraway Gang jumpers, above and below, are made from all-natural extra-fine merino wool, these jumpers are robust, non-itchy, and ready for adventure, according to founder Sally Jackson.

The Faraway Gang use raw materials and knitting techniques to produce a quality that will stand the test of time, according to the award-winning brand. The jumpers are made from all-natural extra-fine merino wool, all made in the UK.

The Faraway Gang was founded in 2017 by Sally Jackson after becoming a mother for the second time.  Sally, like all mums, sought to get the balance right between having a family and retaining her creativity and independence.  With over 15 years experience as a knitwear designer for some of the UK’s most known brands such as Boden, Great Plains and Joules, interest in her designs were strong. Her first independent range won her a Gold Junior Award within a month of launching her signature style of fair-isle pattern showcasing her natural talent for colour.