Adult Christmas pyjamas: a fleece onesie instead of the ugly Christmas jumper

Adult Christmas pyjamas have replaced the ugly Christmas jumper in a lot of families: the same effect in the Christmas Eve photo, but ten times more comfortable, and you can fall asleep in them after the bûche de Noël (the French Yule log cake). The format that works best is the hooded one-piece fleece onesie. Here's how to choose yours, whether for yourself, as a couple or with friends, find the right size and wear it on Christmas Eve without any nasty surprises.

Why a onesie rather than a Christmas jumper?

The Christmas jumper has two flaws: it often itches, and you only wear it two evenings a year. The fleece onesie fixes both.

• It makes the photo all on its own. A hood with ears or horns is recognisable from a distance, even at the back of the living room, next to the tree.
• You wear it from the evening of the 24th to the morning of the 25th. You keep it on for dessert, sleep in it and open your presents in it.
• It's useful all winter. Once the festive season is over, it's no longer a costume: it's warm loungewear for January evenings.

If you're torn between a onesie and two-piece pyjamas, our comparison footed onesie or monster pyjamas explains the differences in format.

Three styles of adult Christmas pyjamas

The cosy classic: cable knit

For anyone who wants the "Christmas jumper" spirit without the fancy-dress side, the Cable Knit Teddy Bear Onesie is made of fleece knitted in chunky vertical ribs, like a big winter jumper. A teddy is embroidered on the back, two little round ears are stitched onto the hood, and the zip runs right up to the collar.

The red is the most "Christmassy" colour, the off-white brings a snowy landscape to mind, and the pink or charcoal grey can be worn all winter with no nod to the festivities.

The quirky one: Monster Pyjamas

To make the whole table laugh, the Monster Pyjamas have a hood with horns, little ears and big embroidered eyes. They come in eight colours, three of which fit the theme: red, green and white. A red monster and a green monster side by side, and you've got both colours of the Christmas tree in the photo.

They're also an idea for a gift exchange with friends or at the office: everyone laughs when they're unwrapped, then they get kept for winter Sundays. Our pick of funny gift ideas for adults has more.

The winter animal: the Family Fleece Onesie

The Family Fleece Onesie comes in five animals: panda, ginger tiger, brown bear with a cream tummy, dinosaur and capybara. The bear and the panda look right at home under the tree. It comes in women's sizes (S to XL) and men's sizes (L to 3XL), and in kids' sizes too: it's the answer if the children want the same animal as their parents.

Christmas pyjamas as a couple or with friends: how to match

Adult Christmas pyjamas are rarely worn solo. A few ways to match without everyone wearing exactly the same outfit:

• Same style, complementary colours. Red and green for a couple, or red, green and white for a trio of friends in Monster Pyjamas.
• Same animal, different sizes. The Family Fleece Onesie offers the same animal in women's and men's sizes: ideal for a couple who want to match perfectly.
• Same colour, different styles. A red cable knit onesie and red Monster Pyjamas: each to their own style, but the photo stays consistent.

To dress the whole family, children included, our guide to matching family pyjamas for Christmas covers choosing styles and sizes. And if you're throwing a get-together with friends over the festive season, see our ideas for a pyjama party for grown-ups.

Choosing the right size of adult Christmas pyjamas

A one-piece onesie should let you sit on the floor to open presents, raise your arms and bend over without pulling at the shoulders. A few pointers:

• Measure yourself before choosing. Standing up, barefoot, back against the wall: it's your height that counts, not your jeans size.
• Read each style's size guide. The Monster Pyjamas go from M to XXL by height; the Family Fleece Onesie gives height and weight for each size; the Cable Knit Teddy Bear Onesie gives the garment measurements laid flat (chest, sleeve length, total length).
• Between two sizes, take the larger one. The cuts are roomy, and a slightly loose onesie leaves room for a long-sleeved T-shirt underneath.
• Check the leg length. Legs that drag mean a risk of falling on the stairs, especially late on Christmas Eve.

Our guide to choosing the size of an adult onesie explains the method step by step.

On Christmas Eve: the safety rule

Candles on the table, tealight holders, the fireplace: Christmas Eve is one of the evenings of the year with the most flames in the house. And a roomy onesie, with its wide sleeves and hood, can easily get too close.

London Fire Brigade advises never to put a candle near anything that can catch fire, clothes included, and presents LED candles as a much safer alternative (London Fire Brigade, Candles). In practice:

• LED candles on the table and in the decorations;
• hood down and sleeves rolled up if you go near the fireplace or the oven;
• matches and lighters out of reach of children, if there are any at the party.

Getting ready for the photo and caring for the onesie

Wash the onesie once before Christmas Eve: it will be softer and lose its "fresh out of the box" look. The product pages say machine wash at 30 °C on a delicate cycle, then air dry. For the cable knit, avoid the tumble dryer, which flattens the ribs. All our tips are in how to wash and care for fleece pyjamas.

For the photo: hoods up (it's the ears and horns that make the picture), fairy lights in the background and soft lighting rather than a direct flash.

In short

For adult Christmas pyjamas that earn their keep beyond 25 December, choose a fleece onesie: the Cable Knit Teddy Bear Onesie for that winter-jumper feel, the Monster Pyjamas in red or green to get a laugh, the Family Fleece Onesie to match as a couple or with the children. Size up if in doubt, keep flames at a distance, and find every style in the shop.

Cover photo: Ronnie George / Unsplash