Christmas Shirt Ideas: Festive Inspiration for the Perfect Holiday Wardrobe

Christmas is the perfect time of year for fun, frivolity, and creativity.

During the festive season, you can show off your unique personality with everything from home decorations to your own custom Christmas playlist. However, few things are more effective at getting everyone in the holiday spirit, than a unique Christmas shirt.

Christmas shirts, whether designed for an individual, or created for the entire family, are the perfect way to celebrate the holidays in style. Not only are they fun and eye-catching, but Christmas shirts are a versatile choice for just about any occasion. You can wear matching shirts for your carol singing sessions, design a custom shirt for the office party, or even give a Christmas shirt as a gift.

So, where do you start if you want to swap your standard Christmas sweater for a tee this year?

Here’s all the inspiration you’re going to need.

9 Creative Christmas Shirt Design Ideas for a Unique Holiday

These days, design-on-demand manufacturers have made it easier than ever for anyone to create custom Christmas shirts from scratch. You don’t need your own professional printing equipment to design some amazing shirts for your family or online store. All you need is a little creativity, the right designs, and the best printing partner.

The good news is when it comes to design choices, your options are practically limitless. Here are just 9 amazing types of Christmas shirts you can consider creating this year.

Classic Shirt Ideas

Everyone loves a classic. A Christmas shirt doesn’t need to break the mold to be fantastic. Sometimes, the simplest graphics and designs are the best. Consider a shirt featuring your favorite holiday motif, such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree surrounded by presents.

You could create a shirt with a picture of Santa in his sleigh, with the words “Merry Christmas” printed above in bright letters. There are countless other options to explore too, from baubles and gingerbread men, to evergreen wreaths and candy canes. Focus on festive colors like white, red, green, and gold to make your shirt an instant classic.

Funny Shirt Ideas

Christmas is a time of fun and laughter. A funny Christmas shirt is the perfect way to bring a smile to anyone’s face during the festive season. The right option for you will depend on your sense of humor. You might choose a cheeky design, such as a picture with Santa stuck in a chimney.

Alternatively, you could consider some festive puns for your shirt, such as “Gin-gle all the way”, accompanied by a picture of yourself enjoying a glass of gin. The options are endless. Just make sure you’re not going to offend anyone with your funny tee.

Couple’s Shirt Ideas

Is it your first Christmas as a “Mr” or “Mrs”? Are you celebrating an anniversary with your partner during the festive season? Maybe you just want to show off your love for your other half with a festive shirt. Couple’s shirts are an excellent way to have a little fun during the holidays.

You could create personalized designs featuring you and your partner as “Mr and Mrs” Claus, or you could consider experimenting with romantic Christmas images, like mistletoe. A pair of matching shirts is sure to grab attention at your family dinner or festive party this year.

Kid Shirt Ideas

No-one quite embodies the Christmas spirit quite like a child. Why not celebrate your little one’s love of the festive season with their own custom Christmas shirt? You could consider creating a matching selection of shirts for your child, you and your co-parent to wear on Christmas Eve. Alternatively, design a shirt that’s specific to your youngster.

Choose colorful, playful designs for younger children, in bright shades they associate with Christmas, like red and green. You could even look for some free SVG files to add to your designs, featuring cartoon Santa faces, reindeer, or snowmen.

Family Shirt Ideas

Getting the whole family involved with a set of matching Christmas shirts is an amazing way to have a little extra fun during the holiday season. If you tend to celebrate the holidays with plenty of relatives, from cousins and grandparents, to sisters and brothers, you could even consider getting everyone their own special shirt.

Why not upload pictures of your family onto a printing website and customize them with elf ears and hats, to turn you and your loved ones into a barrage of festive creatures this year? Or maybe you could create a celebratory shirt specific to the year, with a sign on the back saying “Smith Family Christmas 2024”. These shirts aren’t just fun, they’re a great way to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Work and Office Party Shirt Ideas

Does your workplace tend to go all-in on the ugly sweater competitions and Christmas events around the holiday season? Why not show your support of your employer’s holiday spirit, by creating a custom Christmas tee just for your office party?

A great way to make your shirt designs specific to the office environment is to include elements related to your job. For instance, you could upload your company logo (if you have permission) and use that in the shirt. Alternatively, you could make certain aspects of your work environment more festive. For instance, a construction company worker might use a picture of a tractor decorated with lights and baubles, just like a Christmas tree.

Pop-Culture Inspired Shirt Ideas

Adding a few pop-culture elements to your Christmas shirt is a cute way to make the design more specific to your personality and tastes. There are plenty of options to explore here. You could consider including a quote on your shirt from one of your favorite Christmas movies or books. Or maybe you could add one of your favorite pop-culture characters to your shirt?

Just remember, if you’re creating custom Christmas shirts to sell on an online store, it’s important to ensure you’re not stepping into any copyright issues. You may not be legally able to use certain quotes and characters in your designs without getting approval first.

Ugly Shirt Ideas

The Ugly Christmas sweater is a staple of the holidays at this point for many of us. However, not everyone wants to wear a sweater around the home and office. A good alternative could be to design an ugly Christmas tee instead.

This is your opportunity to go as wild as you like with your design choices. Experiment with clashing colors and overwhelming patterns. Go vivid and bold, and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. The tackier and more garish the design is, the better! You could even take inspiration from a few of your favorite ugly sweaters from the past.

Shirt Ideas for Teachers and Professors

Whether you’re looking to get your own students in the festive spirit during the holidays, or you want to create a gift for your favorite teacher or professor, there are plenty of ways to design a great Christmas shirt for academics. You might choose a teacher-related pun for your shirt, such as “I’m dreaming of a Whiteboard Christmas”, or “Jingle all the way to winter break”.

Alternatively, you could just experiment with designs that combine festive motifs with classroom staples. For instance, create a shirt with a bauble shaped like an Apple on a festive desk, or design a tree decorated with marked test papers.

Design Your Own Christmas Shirts With NovaTomato

In the past, creating your very own selection of Christmas shirts would have been a time-consuming process. The price involved in creating matching shirts with a dedicated printing company often meant a lot of families couldn’t enjoy their own festive tees. However, that’s no longer the case.

Leading vendors like NovaTomato ensure anyone can bring their festive shirt ideas to life in no time. You can use our pre-designed templates or custom design tools to create all kinds of funny, classic, and traditional shirts in no time. Plus, you’ll be able to upload your own images, and use our AI technology to generate new ideas while you work. Once you’ve chosen the ideal design for your Christmas shirt, we handle the rest of the work for you.

The NovaTomato teams work with world-leading manufacturers, and print your designs onto high-quality, eco-friendly fabrics, sure to stand the test of time. Not only are our products beautifully made, to ensure exceptional levels of comfort, but they can be made according to your exact requirements, with no minimum order requirements.

Reach out to NovaTomato.com today to learn more about how we can create the holiday and Christmas shirts of your dreams, at a price you can afford.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions about Christmas shirts? Let’s answer a few.

What Is the Best Style for a Christmas Shirt?

The best style for a Christmas shirt is totally up to you! You can choose from a range of colors, materials, and cuts, based on your preferences. You might choose a slouchy tee for a relaxed Christmas Eve celebration, or something more tailored for an office party.

When Should I Order to Get My Christmas Shirts on Time?

At NovaTomato, we work hard to ensure we can produce and deliver your Christmas shirts as quickly as possible, however we do recommend ordering early during this holiday peaktime. Ensuring you’ve designed your ideal shirt a month or two in advance will improve your chances of getting the item on time.

What Materials Are the NovaTomato Christmas Shirts Made From?

Here at NovaTomato, we produce premium-quality shirts from a range of sustainable materials. We offer a range of options, from recycled polyester to specialist materials, custom-made to reduce the impact on the planet. All of our materials are durable, long-lasting, and ultra-soft, for comfort.