Teacher Christmas Shirt Ideas: Spirit Week, Grade Teams and Gifts
The last week of school before winter break is usually the loudest week of the year. There is a class party, a program or two, a spirit week with a different theme every day, and a hallway full of kids who have already checked out. A Christmas teacher shirt will not fix any of that, but it does take one decision off the list. This guide covers teacher Christmas shirts for spirit week, how a grade-level team can match without a lot of back and forth, and what parents should know before buying one as a gift.
Every shirt below is a real design in our shop, in adult sizes S through 3XL. The new Christmas designs are printed on Comfort Colors 1717 tees.
The teacher Christmas shirts we actually have
These are the designs written for teachers and school staff. Each one is a short-sleeve graphic tee, so it works under a cardigan in a cold building and on its own in a warm classroom.
- Christmas Teacher Lettering: TEACHER spelled in candy cane, plaid and snowflake letters with a Santa hat and a red bow. It comes in 14 garment colors, from Ivory and Blossom to Berry, Moss and Black.
- Teacher Pencil Christmas Tree: yellow pencils stacked into a tree, wrapped in lights and topped with a plaid bow and a gold star. A quiet pick for a teacher who wants something festive without a joke.
- One Merry Teacher: a short, easy-to-read line that works from the back of a gym during the winter program.
- North Pole University: a collegiate-style design that fits a campus with a college shirt day, or a staff that wants a holiday version of their usual Friday shirt.
- Candy Cane Stethoscope Heart and Santa's Favorite Nurse: for the school nurse, who is part of every holiday week too.
The rest of the school year lives in our teacher shirts and school staff shirts collections, and the full holiday line is in Christmas Graphic Tees.
How to choose a festive Christmas shirt for the classroom
Start with what you will actually do in it. A teacher on the carpet with a small group all day needs a soft, casual tee that pairs with jeans and moves with you. A short-sleeve t-shirt also layers well: a cardigan over it in a cold portable, nothing over it in a warm room.
Then decide how loud you want to be. A simple, classic design reads as festive without much effort. A playful, colorful design with characters gets a reaction from students. A funny design adds humor, but save the sharper jokes for the staff party. If your classroom already has a theme, like books, coffee or a pink holiday look from Pink Christmas Shirts, pick the design that fits it so the shirt feels like part of your room.
Last, treat the garment color as the background for the print. Light colors like Ivory and Blossom make a bright, cheerful design stand out. Darker colors like Pepper and Black give the same design a bold, seasonal look.
Christmas spirit week ideas for teachers, day by day
Most December spirit weeks follow the same pattern: a different dress-up theme each day, posted on a flyer that goes home a week or two before. The themes change from campus to campus, but these come up again and again. Here is a shirt that fits each one.
Red and green day or candy cane day
Pick a Christmas design in a red or green garment color. Christmas Teacher Lettering on Berry or Moss covers red and green day, and the candy cane letters do double duty on candy cane day. On a plaid or flannel day, put a flannel shirt over it and leave it open.
Ugly sweater day
In a lot of Texas classrooms, a wool sweater by second period is too much. A tee is the cooler way to join in. A funny design from Funny Christmas Shirts keeps the joke, and Surviving the Holidays One Meltdown at a Time or Probably Just Gonna Jingle Some of the Way will get a laugh from the staff lounge. Check the wording against your grade level before you wear it in front of kids.
Cozy day or hot cocoa day
This is the coffee teacher's day. Fueled by Coffee and Christmas Cheer and St. Nick's Coffee Club are in our Christmas Coffee and Cocoa Shirts. If you wear a coffee shirt the rest of the year, the teacher coffee shirts collection has those.
Favorite holiday book day
Reading teachers, librarians and anyone running a holiday read-aloud have the most options. Santa's Reading List, Dear Santa Send Books and Holiday Reading Society are a few of the 16 designs in Book Lover Christmas Shirts.
Last day before break
Wear the shirt you want in the class photo. Something simple and easy to read from across the room usually photographs best, which is why One Merry Teacher and the designs in Classic Christmas Shirts are good picks for this day.
Christmas shirt ideas for preschool and kindergarten teachers
Little kids read pictures before they read words, so a colorful design with characters on it gets more reaction in a pre-K or kindergarten room than a clever line of text. Christmas Doodle Crew has a tree, an ornament, a star, a wreath and a gift box with happy faces, which is an easy thing to point at and talk about during circle time. If your class reads a gingerbread story in December, Can't Catch Me Gingerbread and the rest of the Gingerbread Christmas Shirts tie straight into the lesson. For the class party, Dancing Christmas Treats shows a tree, a cocoa mug, a cookie and a candy cane holding hands.
Grade-level team Christmas shirts
A grade team that wants to match has two easy options.
- Same design, each person picks a color. Everyone wears Christmas Teacher Lettering, for example, and each teacher picks one of the 14 colors. The team still reads as a group in photos, and nobody gets stuck in a color they never wear.
- Same color, different designs. The team agrees on one garment color, then each person picks the design that fits them: one takes the pencil tree, one takes a book design, one takes a coffee design. This works well on a team where not everyone wants the same joke.
Have one person collect sizes and colors in a shared sheet, then order every shirt in one cart. The tees are garment-dyed, and garment-dyed color can vary slightly from one dye lot to the next, so a single order is the safer way to get matching colors that look the same.
A whole campus, or a team of 12 or more, is a group order. Send a bulk order request with the design, colors, quantity, a size for each person and the date the shirts need to be in hand. Schools can also start from our school orders page. The timeline is confirmed with the quote.
Planning the staff party too? Our school staff Christmas party ideas cover food, games and themes on a teacher budget.
Sizing for a staff order: the size chart
Comfort Colors 1717 is a 6.1 oz, 100% ring-spun cotton tee with a relaxed unisex fit. The easiest way to size it is to lay a shirt you already like flat and measure across the chest, then compare it to this chart.
| Size | Chest width, flat (in) | Body length (in) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | 18 1/4 | 26 5/8 | $29.99 |
| M | 20 1/4 | 28 | $29.99 |
| L | 22 | 29 3/8 | $29.99 |
| XL | 24 | 30 3/4 | $29.99 |
| 2XL | 26 | 31 5/8 | $32.99 |
| 3XL | 27 3/4 | 32 1/2 | $34.99 |
We do not give a blanket rule to size up or down. The full method is on our size and measurement guide. These tees come in adult sizes only, so they are for teachers, aides, staff and parents, not for students.
For parents: is a Christmas shirt a good teacher gift?
Short answer: it depends. When Education Week asked about 700 educators what gift they wanted, most picked a gift card, and very few wanted another mug. A shirt is a better fit in two cases: the class is chipping in for one group gift and you know the teacher's size, or the teacher has already said they love holiday shirts and wear them every December. If you do not know the size, a gift card or a note from the class is the safer call. If you do, the reading, coffee and teacher designs above are the ones most likely to get worn more than once.
Shopping for the bus driver, the front office or the cafeteria team? See our Christmas gifts for school staff, sorted by role.
When to order
Every shirt is printed after you order. Orders ship in 1 to 3 business days. Most orders arrive 3 to 5 business days after shipping. For Christmas Day, the date to remember is: Order by Dec 9 for Christmas delivery.
Spirit week comes before that. Find your spirit week dates on the school calendar, count back about eight business days, and order before then. Standard shipping (UPS) is $9 on orders under $49, and Economy shipping is free on orders of $49 or more, so two S to XL tees at $59.98 already ship free with Economy. If you pick the free Economy option, use the delivery estimate shown at checkout. UPS and USPS carrier rates can also appear there. More holiday details are in the Christmas Shirt Ordering Guide 2026 and on our shipping information page.
Quick answers
Can I wear these after Christmas?
The Christmas designs are made for December. For the rest of the year, the teacher shirts collection has designs for the rest of the school year.
Do you have youth sizes for students?
No. These graphic tees come in adult sizes S through 3XL only.
Can a grade team mix sizes and colors in one order?
Yes. Each shirt in the cart has its own size and color.
How do I wash it?
Machine wash cold, inside out, with like colors, and tumble dry low. Do not bleach, and do not iron directly on the print.