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Red is the Christmas jumper, and everything else is a variation on it. Santa wears it, the postbox wears it, the robin wears it, and when somebody pictures a Christmas jumper without being given any other information, this is the colour they see.
Which means red is where the selection is widest and the competition fiercest. It also means it pays to be a bit choosy about the shade. There is a world of difference between a bright pillar-box red, which is proper pantomime Christmas and brilliant for it, and a deep wine or berry red, which is a completely wearable jumper that happens to be festive. The first is a party garment. The second you will still be reaching for in late January.
Red carries white and cream motifs better than any other base – snowflakes, Nordic Fair Isle borders, a cream reindeer across the chest – and it is the natural ground for anything involving Santa, who would look peculiar on anything else. A note on washing: red knitwear bleeds, particularly the first couple of times, so wash it on its own and cool unless you fancy a pink household. Start here if you want the full festive effect with no hedging.
