Somebody here got a reindeer jumper down from the loft this week. It's the seventh of November. We've asked them to put it back. Nobody's listening, and to be fair, it's freezing.
Christmas Jumper Day falls on Thursday 10 December this year. It's the day offices, schools and the odd brave warehouse turn up in knitwear covered in snowflakes, puddings and wonky pom-poms, and put a few quid in the pot for charity. It's daft and it's cosy, and we love it.
A woolly jumper and a hot brew are a fairly obvious match, so we've picked out a few mug ideas for the day. Nothing fancy. Just small, cheerful things for desks, staffrooms and kitchen tables.
For the office: the colleague in the loudest knit
Every workplace has one. The jumper that flashes. The jumper that plays a tune if you press the robin. The person wearing it has been planning this since about August, and honestly, they deserve a mug.
Our colleague mugs are a good place to start, especially for the desk-mate who makes your tea without being asked. If your team likes to roll jumper day and the gift swap into one big festive morning (very efficient, we approve), have a nose through our Secret Santa mugs too. They work just as well for a jumper day raffle or a "best knit" prize.
And for the office comedian, the funny and comical mugs will go down better than another pair of novelty socks. Probably.
For the staffroom: teachers on jumper duty
Schools go BIG on Christmas Jumper Day. Picture teaching fractions to thirty small people dressed as elves and snowmen, while wearing a knitted Christmas pudding yourself. That deserves a medal. We don't sell medals, but we do sell mugs.
Something from our teacher mugs makes a lovely little thank-you from the class in those last frazzled weeks of term. It also means the staffroom kettle finally gets some company.
For the one who goes all out: proper Christmas mugs
Some people don't just wear the jumper. They match the jumper. Their tinsel matches their earrings. For them, it has to be properly festive.
- The snowman fan: the Snowman Face Mug or the Cartoon Snowman Mug. Pair it with a snowman jumper and you've got yourself a theme.
- The one in the tree jumper: the Christmas Tree Cartoon Mug. Coordinated. Smug. Rightly so.
- The hummer: you know the one, already doing carols under their breath at the photocopier. The Sleigh Bells Ring Mug is theirs.
- The snow-dreamer: the Winterland Mug, for anyone who checks the forecast every morning in December, just in case.
- The straight-talker: the Merry Christmas Mug. Does exactly what it says. No fuss.
There's more in our full Christmas mugs collection if none of those quite fits.
For the family: jumper day at home
Not everyone has an office to show off in. Plenty of us do Christmas Jumper Day at home, on the school run, or on a video call with the relatives so everyone can judge everyone else's knitwear (lovingly, of course).
If you're sorting a little something for the family, we'd head for Mum mugs and Dad mugs first. Then there are sister mugs and brother mugs for the sibling who "borrowed" your jumper last year and never gave it back. And grandparents mugs for the ones who'll want a photo of everybody in their jumpers, lined up, smiling. Twice.
With their name on: personalised picks
I'll be honest, this is our favourite bit. A mug with someone's name on is the sort of thing that sticks around on a desk long after the jumper's gone back in the loft.
The World's Best Personalised Mug is spot on for whoever wins the office jumper contest every single year (there's always one, and they're always a bit too pleased about it). The Hashtag Personalised Mug suits the colleague who'll have their jumper on social media before the kettle's boiled.
Looking for someone's name in particular? Our name collections are split by letter, so Names A-C is a good place to start, and there's a wider pick in our personalised mugs.
One last thing
Christmas Jumper Day is about turning up a bit silly, a bit warm and a bit generous. A mug won't do your fundraising for you. It will hold a very welcome cuppa while you sit there in a jumper that's slightly too hot for central heating.
Right. I'm off to find out whether that reindeer's nose still lights up.
