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The snowman is the most sympathetic character in Christmas and the jumpers know it. He is round, he is cheerful, he is wearing a hat and scarf he did not choose, and everybody over a certain age in this country has a complicated emotional response to a particular animated film. That is a lot for one motif to carry.
Visually he is a designer’s dream: three circles, two coal eyes, a carrot and a hat. You can knit that at any scale and it still reads as a snowman, which is why he turns up on everything from fine-gauge cardigans to jumpers with an actual three-dimensional felt carrot stitched to the front. The good ones add a real scarf detail, knitted separately and hanging off the garment, which is a genuinely charming touch.
There is also a strong seam of melting-snowman humour here, which is darker than it first appears and all the better for it. Snowman jumpers are a particularly safe present – they suit children and adults equally, they are warm rather than loud, and they sit comfortably at a family dinner. Expect plenty of white, pale blue and grey, and have a look at the snowflake section if that palette is the appeal.
