The billion pound price tag of our Christmas jumper obsession

Research from a Yorkshire clothing retailer has revealed Brits have spent an estimated £1.7bn of Christmas jumpers - with more than 81 million of them hidden in the back of wardrobes.

But it’s more than just a fad. Save the Children has got offices full of people around the UK swapping their suits for festive knitwear today - Christmas Jumper Day.

It’s persuaded schools, community groups and workplaces to dress up in their finest jumpers and donate to the Text Santa appeal, which also raises money for Macmillan Cancer Support and Make-A-Wish UK.

Banana Moon, the online clothing store based in Birstall, West Yorkshire, says 49 per cent of men and 34 per cent of women now own a Christmas jumper, with the average person owning three.

And the capital of Christmas jumpers in right here in Yorkshire.

Sheffield has the highest number of Christmas jumper owners, 69 per cent, with Manchester (60 per cent) and Southampton (58 per cent) second and third.

When it comes down to which designs people prefer, snowmen (19 per cent) and reindeer (19 per cent) were voted the most popular jumper designs, claiming the top positions over Santa (16 per cent) and Christmas trees (13 per cent).

Alex Grace, Marketing Co-ordinator for Banana Moon, said: “Christmas jumpers were once a family photo tradition which brought on decades of embarrassment for youngsters. Thanks to initiatives such as Text Santa and vintage and retro styles making a comeback, novelty jumpers are fast becoming a Christmas staple again.”

Banana Moon ran a competition to find the UK’s Best Christmas Jumper snaps to see how festive and creative the UK is.

The winner was Petra Driscoll from Hull, whose Christmas tree number stood out from the rest.