Search for the best family Christmas pajamas and you get a hundred lists of products, most of them ranked by whoever paid for the placement. None of them tell you what actually goes wrong when you order a set for six people.
Here are the things worth checking, in the order they cause problems.
Does one print cover every size in your family?
This is the first question and most families ask it last. A print that runs from newborn to adult 5XL is a different product from one that stops at adult XL and sends the toddler to a separate design.
Our family Christmas sets cover Youth 6M, 12M, 18M, 2Y, 4Y, 6Y, 8Y, 10Y, 12Y, 14Y, 16Y, then Adult XS through Adult 5XL. Same artwork across the whole range. That matters if you have a grandparent who wears 4XL or a baby who is not on the standard chart yet.
If anyone in your group sits outside a print's range, move on to another print. Do not plan the photo around a set you cannot complete.
The fit is unisex, and that changes how you size
Our adult sets are a unisex cut. In practice:
Men usually prefer to size up one for a roomier fit through the shoulders and chest. Women who want a closer fit can take their normal size. Kids sizes run small, so size up one or two, and go two if the pajamas are for a growing child and Christmas is still weeks away.
Nobody enjoys a Christmas morning photo where one person is visibly squeezed. Sizing up costs nothing and reads better.
What you are actually buying
Each order is one set per person: a long sleeve top with a crew neck and elastic waist pants. Not a top sold alone with pants as an add on.
The fabric is a soft lightweight stretch knit. It is meant for sleeping in and for sitting on a couch for four hours, which is what Christmas morning mostly is. Heavy flannel photographs thick and gets hot indoors once the oven has been on for a while.
The design is an all over sublimation print, so it runs edge to edge instead of sitting as a graphic on the chest. That is why the print holds up in a group photo where half of each person is behind someone else.
Print scale, briefly
Large motifs survive a wide shot. Small repeating shapes turn into texture at distance.
The Western Santa print uses big figures: cowboy Santa, reindeer, lassos, cactus candy canes. The gingerbread cookie print does the same with palm sized cookies. The elf costume print is the one to pick if you want the set to read as a costume rather than as sleepwear.
Personalized sets are a separate decision
Adding a name changes the set from a holiday outfit into a gift someone keeps. It also removes any chance of returning it, since each piece is printed for that person.
If that trade is worth it, the Christmas reindeer set with a custom name and number and the custom face Christmas characters set both take text you type at checkout. Type it exactly as you want it printed, including capitals. We print what you send.
Personalized sets run Style options for Men, Women, Kids, and Baby, with sizes S through 3XL.
Ordering for a group
Order one set per person and pick each size from the dropdown. Three or more matching items take 10% off automatically at checkout, so a family of four is already past that line.
Write the sizes down before you start. Ordering six sets from memory is how one person ends up with two mediums and nobody has a large.
For a bigger group, a reunion or an extended family, see personalized and group orders before you place it. Worth confirming turnaround when the order gets past a handful of sets.
Care, so the set survives to next year
Machine wash cold, inside out. Tumble dry low. Do not iron directly on the print.
Sublimation print sits in the fabric rather than on top of it, so it does not crack the way a screen print does. Direct heat from an iron is the one thing that damages it.
How early to order
Everything is made after you order, which is why every size stays in stock. It also means production time comes before shipping time.
Pick the date you need them, check the current production and shipping times, and count backwards. December is the busiest stretch of the year for made to order apparel. If the pajamas are for a photo that goes on a card, add the card printing and mailing time on top.
Common questions
Are the pajamas sold as a set or as separate pieces? As a set. One order per person gives you the top and the pants in the same print.
Do kids and adults get the same design? Yes. The print runs across every size, scaled to the garment.
What if I am between adult sizes? Take the larger one. The cut is unisex and relaxed, so the smaller size will feel tight through the shoulders.
Can I return a personalized set? No. Anything printed with a name or a photo is made for one person and cannot be resold. Check your spelling before you submit.
Ready to pick a print? The matching family pajamas collection lists every Christmas design with its full size range, and family Christmas photo outfits covers what to think about if the set is going straight into a photo.
