Christmas Jumper Day For Teenage Cancer
The story of the Christmas jumper is one of the most fascinating and interesting traditions to have caught the British imagination
The history of these jumpers can be traced back to 19th century Scandinavia, where thick, warm, brightly coloured jumpers were ideal for staving off the chill of winter. Closely related to the Fair Isle geometric patterns worn by fishermen (reputedly to assist in the identification of sailors lost at sea), these Scandinavian sweaters were rapidly adopted by skiers.
Then at some point during the 70s the Brits decided to make Christmas jumpers the classic gift of choice for dads presents which would then be proudly worn on Boxing Day, and usually creased having been recently extracted from the packaging.
From those humble beginnings the Christmas jumper day is now a national treasure, with nearly all workplaces considering it acceptable attire for at least one day of the year.
Lightcliffe has its own way of celebrating this special day. Each year on Christmas jumper day it invites all employees to bring a donation along with a nominated charity. Whatever is collected on the day is then doubled by the business with the new total being donated on one of the nominated charities, which in turn is selected by drawing out of a hat. This year the donation was given to a most worthy cause, that being Teenage Cancer.
As well as being a fun day for all it is a gentle reminder that there are always those in need at this time of year with the forthcoming donations serving as a reminder of the heart-warming British charitable spirit.