Vintage Christmas Outfit Ideas With a Retro Holiday Tee
Four vintage Christmas looks by era, outfits for parties, markets and family dinner, and the retro Christmas tees and colors that pull them together.
Vintage Christmas is the look people mean when they say a holiday "feels like the old days": big colored bulbs, glass ornaments, plaid, and a little bit of wear around the edges. You can get that look without hunting thrift stores for a 40-year-old sweater. Start with a vintage Christmas shirt, then pick the era you want the rest of the outfit to borrow from.
Here are vintage Christmas outfit ideas by era and by event, with real designs from our Classic Christmas Shirts collection. They are printed on Comfort Colors 1717, a garment-dyed tee with a soft, washed look that already feels a few years old the day it arrives, in adult unisex sizes S to 3XL.
A little history behind the vintage Christmas look
Many of the details we now call vintage Christmas are older than people think. History.com notes that Edward Johnson lit the first electric Christmas tree in his Manhattan parlor in 1882, with 80 hand-wired bulbs in red, white and blue. Electric strings stayed expensive for years, and by the 1940s they had replaced wax candles on most Christmas trees. That is why so many retro holiday designs lean on strings of colored lights, glass ornaments and bold hand-lettered type: they all come from the decades when those things were new.
Vintage Christmas shirts that carry a retro outfit
These are the Christmas t-shirts we would build a vintage look around. Each is a holiday graphic tee with an old-fashioned feel, and every one is a unisex shirt for women and men alike.
Old-fashioned ornaments and lights
- Ornament Season: bold retro letters surrounded by vintage ornaments, striped bows and evergreen. It comes in all 14 of our Christmas colors.
- Christmas Ornament Collector 2026: retro lettering ringed by vintage ornaments, candy canes, bows and evergreen. A good gift for the person who buys one new ornament every year.
- Merry Christmas Twinkle Lights: hand-lettered Merry Christmas in red, orange and green, framed by a string of colored lights, little trees and ornaments.
- Colorful Merry Christmas Lights: playful multicolor lettering wrapped in a light string, with little trees on top and a red bow below.
Old sign and club designs
- Mistletoe Social Club: a sprig of mistletoe tied with a pink bow, lettered Mistletoe Social Club, Est. 1892, Cut Fresh Daily. It looks like an old shop sign.
- North Pole Gingerbread Baking Co: a vintage bakery sign, Est. 1802, with cookies, cakes and hot cocoa on the menu.
- North Pole University: collegiate lettering around crossed rainbow candy canes and a big red bow. It has the feel of an old campus sweatshirt, on a tee.
- Candy Cane Christmas Club: a rainbow-striped candy bow inside a laurel frame with Merry Christmas lettering.
Farmhouse and plaid
- Tis the Season Plaid Trees: red dotted lettering around three gingham and checkered trees with bows.
- Merry Christmas Vintage Trees: Merry in green script and CHRISTMAS in vintage red over a row of pink, blue and green trees. It is the simplest Christmas tree graphic in the group, and the easiest vintage xmas tee to wear to a family dinner.
Retro Santa and funny vintage
Not every vintage look is sweet. Some of the best retro holiday graphics are loud and a little silly, like an old greeting card that took itself less seriously. Bubblegum Santa Peace Sign is a vintage Santa Claus in watercolor in mirrored skyline sunglasses throwing a peace sign and blowing a pink bubblegum bubble. Ho Ho Ho Bubblegum Santa puts Santa in star-shaped sunglasses ringing a gold bell while Ho Ho Ho stacks up beside him. Both are funny holiday designs that lean 70s and 80s in color and attitude, and both pair well with flared jeans and a shearling jacket. They live in our Funny Christmas Shirts collection. In the classic collection, Merry Christmas Santa Hat Letters spells MERRY in plaid, stripes and polka dots topped with a Santa hat and reindeer antlers, which gives a Santa Christmas shirt look without a cartoon Santa.
Vintage Christmas outfit ideas by era
Mid-century: the 1950s and 60s
Think department store windows and big colored bulbs. Pair Merry Christmas Twinkle Lights or Ornament Season with high-waisted jeans rolled at the cuff, a cropped cardigan buttoned over the tee or worn open, and loafers or saddle-style shoes. A red lip and a silk scarf tied in your hair finish it. Ivory or Chambray keeps the print bright, like an old holiday card.
The 1970s
Warm and earthy. Christmas Ornament Collector 2026 on Yam or Moss, flared jeans or corduroy pants in brown or rust, a shearling-collar jacket and platform boots. Gold hoops and tinted sunglasses if you are committing. This is the most comfortable vintage look on the list.
The late 80s and 90s
The oversized tee era. Wear North Pole University or Colorful Merry Christmas Lights a size that fits you loose, tucked into high-rise mom jeans, with a chunky knit cardigan, white sneakers and a scrunchie. Put a denim jacket on top for the full look. The relaxed unisex fit of the tee does most of the work here.
Old-fashioned farmhouse
No specific decade, just grandma's house. Tis the Season Plaid Trees or Merry Christmas Vintage Trees on Ivory, a red buffalo-check flannel worn open, dark jeans, duck boots and a knit beanie. It is the outfit for cutting your own tree or a morning at a holiday market.
Vintage Christmas outfits by event
- Retro Christmas party: mid-century or 70s look, plus one real vintage piece from a thrift store, like a brooch or a scarf.
- Christmas market or downtown lights: the farmhouse look with a long coat over it.
- Family Christmas dinner: Mistletoe Social Club under a cardigan, dark jeans and boots. Simple and easy to sit in for hours.
- Christmas card photo: everyone in a different retro design on the same garment color, which looks planned without being matchy. For more on coordinating a group, see our guide to matching Christmas shirts for adults.
Vintage tee or ugly sweater?
A lot of people reach for an ugly Christmas sweater when a party says "retro." That works in a cold house. In a crowded room, a retro holiday graphic tee gives you the same Christmas nostalgia without the sweat, and you can wear it again on a regular weekend in December. If the invite says ugly sweater, wear the sweater. If it says vintage, old fashioned Christmas or retro, the tee plus one real thrift piece is the easier, more comfortable call.
Shirt colors that look vintage
The garment-dyed finish already gives every color a slightly faded, lived-in look. Ivory and Chambray read like an old photo. Moss, Berry and Yam are the warm 70s colors. Pepper and Graphite give a printed design the look of a well-washed concert tee. Not every design comes in every color, so check the options on each product page. Garment-dyed shades can also vary slightly from one dye lot to the next, so a group that wants matching colors should order in one cart.
Size, price and care
Each tee is $29.99 in S to XL, $32.99 in 2XL and $34.99 in 3XL. Comfort Colors 1717 is 6.1 oz, 100% ring-spun cotton with a relaxed unisex fit. To pick a size, measure a tee you already own, laid flat, across the chest about an inch below the armholes, and compare it to our size and measurement guide. If you want the roomy 90s look, measure a tee you own that already fits loose the way you like and match that number on the chart.
To keep the retro print looking good, wash cold, inside out, with like colors, and tumble dry low. Do not bleach, and do not iron directly on the print.
Ordering for Christmas 2026
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. Order by Dec 9 for Christmas delivery. For a retro party or a photo session earlier in December, count back about eight business days from the date. Standard UPS runs $9 on orders under $49, and Economy shipping is free once the order reaches $49. More in the Christmas Shirt Ordering Guide 2026 and on our shipping information page.
Quick answers
What should I wear to a vintage Christmas party?
Pick an era. A retro Christmas tee with rolled jeans and a cardigan reads 50s. Corduroy and a shearling jacket reads 70s. Mom jeans and an oversized tee reads 90s.
Are these real vintage shirts?
No. They are new shirts, printed after you order, with retro designs on a garment-dyed tee that has a worn-in look.
Do you have vintage Christmas sweatshirts or long sleeve shirts?
Not in this collection. These are short-sleeve tees that layer under cardigans, flannels and jackets.
Do these come in sizes for men and women?
Yes. Every design is a unisex tee in adult sizes S to 3XL.