Plan custom family Christmas shirts: design rules for the card photo, family photo prints, Miami and Nochebuena ideas, names and years, December order timing and gift shirts.
Custom family Christmas shirts are matching tees printed with your family name, the year and a holiday design, worn for the Christmas card photo, Nochebuena dinner or the morning gift opening. The easiest version is one shared front design plus each person's name on the back, ordered early in December. This guide covers photo shirts, South Florida ideas that skip the snow jokes, names and years, order timing and gift shirts, and you can make the whole set when you design your own Christmas shirt online.
What makes a good family Christmas shirt design?
A good family Christmas shirt design has one clear holiday image, the family name and the year, sized large enough to read in a group photo taken from across the living room. Bold shapes like a decorated palm tree, a string of lights or a star read better than busy patterns full of tiny ornaments.
Think about the photo first. Family Christmas shirts are mostly worn for one or two big pictures, so design for that frame. A few rules I give families at the counter:
- Two colors of shirt at most. Red and green together can look busy; one color for adults and another for kids looks planned.
- Put the year on it. "Navidad 2026" or "Christmas 2026" turns each shirt into a dated keepsake you can line up year after year.
- Keep the main image above the belly. In seated photos, art placed low on the shirt gets hidden behind laps and tables.
- Use original art. Classic symbols like stars, lights, gifts and Santa hats are fine. Famous holiday movie characters are not, and we do not print them without permission.
How do you put a family photo on a Christmas shirt?
You put a family photo on a Christmas shirt by uploading a sharp, well lit picture, cropping it close, and framing it with a simple holiday border or text. Full color DTG prints skin tones, gradients and small details, so last year's card photo or a picture of the grandparents can become this year's shirt.
The best photos for printing are taken in daylight, with faces large in the frame. Group shots taken from far away look tiny once printed, so crop to the people and leave out the background. A photo straight from a recent phone is usually fine. Older printed photos should be scanned, not photographed at an angle. Our guide on how to put a picture on a shirt covers resolution checks, cropping and background removal.
When the photo is cropped, upload it to the shirt designer and zoom the live preview to check that faces stay sharp.
A photo idea families love: a throwback picture of the grandparents' first Christmas together, printed on everyone's shirt, with "Where It All Started" underneath. It works across three generations and always gets a reaction at dinner.
What are Miami Christmas shirt ideas without snow jokes?
Miami Christmas shirt ideas swap snowmen and sleds for the holiday as South Florida actually lives it: palm trees wrapped in lights, flip flops under the tree, lechón on the grill for Nochebuena and an 80 degree Christmas Eve. Bilingual wording like "Feliz Navidad, Y'all" fits families who celebrate in two languages.
Some ideas that only make sense here:
- A palm tree decorated with lights and a star on top, with "Merry and Bright, Miami Style"
- "Nochebuena Crew 2026" with an original drawing of the family table
- Santa in sunglasses on a beach chair, "Dashing Through the Sand"
- "Team Lechón" and "Team Pavo" for the yearly menu debate
- "Our First Christmas in Florida" for families who just moved down
- Abuela's holiday phrase or blessing in Spanish across the back
Since you will likely wear these in warm weather, a cotton tee is more comfortable than anything with sleeves to the wrist. That is one of the perks of a South Florida Christmas.
How do you add names and the year to Christmas shirts?
You add names and the year to Christmas shirts by keeping the shared design on the front and putting each person's name on the back. A back print is optional, so a family can name everyone or just the kids. The year works best on the front, small under the main graphic.
Names on the back are the detail people remember, especially when they include a role: "Head Elf", "Cookie Taster", "Gift Wrapper in Chief", "Abuelo, Keeper of the Remote". For a quieter touch, keep the year small under the front graphic so the shirts line up as a collection from one Christmas to the next. Text needs to be thick enough to read on cotton, so follow our tips for text only shirt designs for font size and stroke weight, then type each name in the designer and read it back before you order.
When should you order Christmas shirts for December?
Order Christmas shirts in late November or the first week of December. Imperial ships within 2 business days after the order, but shipping transit time is extra and not promised, and carriers get busier as Christmas gets closer. Earlier orders also leave time to fix a spelling or swap a size.
Here is an illustrative planning timeline for a family Christmas photo:
| When | Task | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Early to mid November | Pick the design and collect sizes | Relatives take time to answer the group chat |
| Late November | Finalize names and upload the file | Spelling checks on every back print |
| By the first week of December | Place the order | Leaves room for carrier delays and size swaps |
| Mid December | Wash once, then take the card photo | Cards need time to print and mail too |
| Christmas Eve and morning | Wear them for Nochebuena and gifts | The photos everyone actually keeps |
Local families can skip shipping completely with pickup at our Hollywood, FL shop by appointment. For more on beating a date, see our guide to getting custom shirts fast.
Are custom Christmas shirts a good gift?
Custom Christmas shirts make a good gift when the design is personal: a grandchild's drawing printed for the grandparents, a family photo from the year, or an inside joke from last Christmas. A shirt with a meaning gets worn for years, while a generic holiday tee is forgotten by January.
Gift ideas that work well:
- Kid's drawing shirt. Scan your child's holiday drawing and print it for the grandparents, with the artist's name and age underneath.
- Year in review. Six small photos from the year in a grid, with "Our 2026" at the top.
- Family recipe shirt. Abuela's coquito or flan recipe in her handwriting, scanned and printed across the back.
- New home shirt. A drawing of the family's first house with the year.
If you are guessing someone's size, peeking at the tag of a shirt they already wear beats guessing from memory. For more ideas by recipient, see our personalized t shirt gift guide.
How do you order custom family Christmas shirts at Imperial?
You order custom family Christmas shirts at Imperial by picking your shirt, color and size in the designer, uploading your design or typing text, adding back names if you want them, and checking the live preview on the real shirt color. There is no minimum, so one shirt or twenty in mixed sizes is the same simple order.
- Simple pricing: from $25 per shirt with a full color front.
- Your choice of shirt: choose the shirt, color and size for each family member in the designer.
- Names on the back: add a back print with names or roles when you build the design.
- Made locally: Imperial Custom Apparel in Hollywood, FL (Miami area) prints in house on industrial Kornit DTG machines and has been printing since 2019. A real person checks every file, and damaged or misprinted orders are reprinted or refunded.
Start with our pillar guide on how to design your own shirt online, then build your set on the Design Your Own shirt page.
Frequently asked questions
What should I put on custom family Christmas shirts?
Custom family Christmas shirts usually show one holiday image, the family name and the year on the front, with each person's name or a funny role on the back. Use original art like lights, stars or a decorated palm tree. Famous holiday movie characters cannot be printed without permission from the owner.
Can I put our family photo on Christmas shirts?
Yes, a family photo prints well on Christmas shirts with full color DTG. Choose a sharp, daylight photo with faces large in the frame, crop out the background, and add a simple holiday border or caption. Scan older printed photos instead of photographing them at an angle for the cleanest result.
When is the last day to order family Christmas shirts?
There is no single last day, but ordering family Christmas shirts by the first week of December is safest. Imperial ships within 2 business days after the order, and shipping transit time is added on top. Carriers slow down close to Christmas, so earlier orders leave time for size swaps.
How much do matching family Christmas shirts cost?
Matching family Christmas shirts at Imperial start at $25 each with a full color front print, with no minimum. For example, six shirts with a front design start at $150 before shipping. Names on the back are an optional back print you add in the designer.
Where can I order custom family Christmas shirts in Miami?
Imperial Custom Apparel in Hollywood, FL, in the Miami area, makes custom family Christmas shirts through its online designer with no minimum. Shirts start at $25, ship within 2 business days anywhere in the US, or can be picked up locally by appointment. Call or text (954) 280 0627 with questions.
Family Christmas shirts with names and the year, from $25
No minimum, full color DTG, live preview before you pay, and shipped within 2 business days or picked up in Hollywood, FL. Call or text (954) 280 0627.
Design your family set