Family Christmas Pajamas: How Matching Sets Became the Holiday Photo

In 1993, Hanna, a children's clothing brand that began ten years earlier in Portland, Oregon, introduced matching family pajamas in its catalog. There were four designs. Four years later, in 1997, it added holiday patterns: green and white stripes, and red and white stripes, both still sold. That is more or less where the Christmas morning photo begins.

Hanna was not the first to sell family pajamas, since fashion historian Debbie Sessions dates them to the 1950s, but many people credit the brand with popularizing them. It was founded by Swedish-born Gun Denhart, in the garage of her home, and the idea has stayed simple: one print, every size. Today the brand has over 55 patterns, with sizes for babies, grandparents and even pets. That is the whole appeal of family Christmas pajamas, and it is why I start this edit with sets that come in every size.

Now the sets. The Hanna Tree Ribbons print runs from the women's HannaSoft button-front set to the relaxed-fit adult set, and both are made to match kids and babies. The Christmas Trees flannel in navy is the same navy print for the women's set and the gender-neutral kids' set. Eberjey's Winter Pine is the quieter option, ivory with pine trees, in a women's Gisele set and a kids' unisex set. Lake's Garnet Tidal Stripe, red and white in pima cotton, comes as a wide-leg women's set and a kids' long-long set.

My tip for October: decide on one print before anyone picks a size, then order everything together so the reds and greens come from the same dye lot. Kids outgrow these sets, so most families rebuy every year, and buying early beats finding the last size 6 on December 20.

Flannel is older than the holiday pajama. The fabric is thought to have Welsh roots, and a coarse woolen cloth called Welsh cotton was well known there as early as the 16th century. Flannel has been made since the 17th century, and towns like Newtown, Hay on Wye and Llanidloes were making it in the 19th. I like that history for a Christmas set, because it is the same brushed, warm fabric you reach for in December.

The Hanna women's flannel sets are the closest to that tradition. The Tree Ribbons set has ruffle trim, and the Christmas Stripes set is plainer. Both are HannaSoft Flannel made with TENCEL Modal. Little Sleepies makes the Holiday Red set with a twinkling-lights print and the Holiday Bows set on a classic red ground, both button-down with a notched collar in Lunaluxe. Eberjey's Gisele comes in Hollyberry, with white piping and a holly berry print, and in Winter Skating, in holly red and ivory.

Lake gives you two different moods. The Garnet Riviera Stripe poplin set has a collared top with piping. The Fig Cozy Windowpane flannel is plum with periwinkle lines, which is the one I would pick if red and green feel too obvious.

Test: hold the top against your forearm and check the buttons, the piping and the weight of the fabric. A sleep set should feel soft before you wash it, not after.

What I would skip: a heavy flannel if you sleep warm. The modal and Lunaluxe sets are lighter and still read as Christmas.

Check the tag first. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says children's sleepwear in sizes above nine months must be flame resistant or tight-fitting. Tight-fitting sleepwear does not ignite easily, and even if ignited it does not burn readily. The agency also warns against putting children to sleep in T-shirts, sweats or other oversized, loose-fitting cotton. That is why you see snug cotton sets with a tag that says to wear them close to the body.

The toddler and baby Gingerbread set is labeled snug-fit, and the Red Plaid footed one-piece has a 2-way zip for night changes. From Hanna, the Dear Deer sleeper is organic cotton with a protected front zip and foldable cuffs that grow with baby, and the Green Happy Trees long john set is TENCEL Modal rib with 4-way stretch and flatlock seams. Little Sleepies has a Festive Fair Isle zippy for babies and the Holiday Checks two-piece in cream and brown. From Lake, there is the Garnet Tidal Stripe baby set and the Burgundy Starbursts kids' set, in a deep burgundy with periwinkle ovals.

For babies, I would pick the zip over snaps for a 2 a.m. change. For toddlers, look for cuffs that fit at the wrist and ankle, not floppy ones.

What I would skip: a roomy, oversized set for a child over nine months, however cute the print.

The Holderness Family put matching pajamas on millions of screens in 2013, when their holiday letter music video passed 18.7 million views on YouTube. Men's pajamas are the hardest part of this edit, because the print has to match without turning into a costume.

The easiest answer is plaid or stripes. The flannel pajama pant sets in Red Plaid and Tree Stripes are tagged Match the Fam, so the women's and kids' prints line up. Eberjey's men's flannel is an Oxford Check in holly red and wildberry, a blend of 50% organic cotton and 50% modacrylic. For something softer, the William set in Hollyberry matches the women's Gisele set. Little Sleepies sells just the top, in Northern Night Plaid, a navy holiday plaid with red trim, and in Festive Fair Isle. I would wear either with plain sleep pants you already own.

For a bit of humor, BedHead's Merry Beagle and Bright set is red with Christmas trees and beagles. Wondershop's reindeer Fair Isle flannel set in navy is the one made specifically as a matching family set.

Test: check the sleeve and inseam against a pair he already likes, since sizes differ between brands.

What I would skip: novelty prints he will only wear once for the photo. A plaid set gets worn all of December.

Robes are where the flannel comes back. Hanna's adult holiday robe is sueded flannel in a green windowpane plaid, with a belt tie and an interior tie closure. The kids' version is a brushed flannel in Red Holiday Plaid, with a belt and handy side pockets, and the product page says it meets flame-resistance sleep safety standards. Between them, you can match a parent and a child in the same hallway without anyone matching head to toe.

L.L.Bean makes the Scotch Plaid flannel robe in a long women's version and a men's version, both sherpa-lined, which is the one for a cold house. Lake offers a plum Fig Cozy Windowpane flannel robe that goes with its pajama set, and a short Garnet Mini Stripe pima robe with a sewn-in belt, which suits warmer rooms.

At the bottom of the stairs, Dearfoams has two scuff slippers in latte: the Christmas Tree Teddy, with embroidered green trees, and the Shay Reindeer, with antlers and a red nose. I would give the reindeer to someone under 12 and the trees to everyone else.

Test: put the robe on over a sweater, because that is how it will be worn on the morning of the 25th. If it pulls at the shoulders, size up.

What I would skip: a long robe for small children who run around the tree, where a short one is safer.

I would pick one print, usually a plaid or a stripe, and let everything else follow. Then check the tags on the kids' sizes, order early, and add a robe or slippers for whoever is cold.

The tradition goes back to a four-design catalog in 1993, and it still works because everybody wears the same thing for ten minutes and then gets on with the day. That is a small ask for a photo you will look at for years. Mine would be red and white stripes, same as the 1997 original.