Christmas Jumper Day 2019 – how sustainable is yours?

This Friday 13th December is going to be a busy one. As the nation holds a collective breath whilst awaiting the outcome of the general election, children and teachers across the country will be arriving at school clad in wonderfully bright, garish (and possibly musical) Christmas jumpers.

This annual tradition, launched in 2012, is the brainchild of the children’s rights charity Save the Children. Their mission is to encourage people to wear a Christmas jumper in return for donating a pound (or two) to Save the Children. The money raised is then used to ensure children around the world have a chance to be healthy, safe and educated, so they can grow up to be who they want to be.

The event also gives children a perfect opportunity to express some festive cheer whilst raising funds for such a wonderful and worthwhile cause.

As a mother of three children though, Christmas Jumper Day can prove to be a costly affair. By the time three new jumpers have been purchased, as there is not a hope that jumpers worn last year will fit, and donations have been given to school, I can easily find myself £40 worse off.

There’s also the impact on the environment to consider. There’s a large environmental price to pay during the manufacturing and disposal of each jumper which, let’s face it, will only be worn a handful of times.

Thankfully, rather than abandon a fundraising event which has raised over £21 million since its conception, Save the Children have made the following suggestions, which should prove to be much kinder on the pocket and the environment:

• Hold a Christmas Jumper clothes swap. This could be something all schools could get involved in. If parents sent in unwanted jumpers, the school could arrange a specific time and place for parents to pop along and select new jumpers that fit.
• Buy a Christmas jumper from a charity shop. The clothes are much cheaper to buy, more money goes to charity and fewer jumpers end up in landfill.
• Get creative and upcycle an existing jumper with some glitter or tinsel.

The above suggestions may need a little time to grow in popularity, but with the help of celebrities and growing concerns about the environment, this year’s Christmas Jumper Day could be the most successful and sustainable one yet!

Let us know how your school approaches Christmas Jumper Day and whether you’ve already adopted any of the ideas suggested above.

Sue, a mum of three, has sixteen years teaching experience. She joined Classroom Secrets in its infancy and has been creating resources ever since. Her aim is to create stimulating resources that the children will enjoy doing.