Christmas Party Outfits That Aren't a Santa Suit: Christmas Suits, Ugly-Sweater Tees, Tree Costumes, and the Christmas Story Bunny

Not every Christmas party wants a Santa. Sometimes the office has already booked one, sometimes you're the host and need both hands free, and sometimes you just want to walk into the white-elephant exchange and get a laugh without a beard. Our Christmas costumes collection is a lot deeper than red velvet, so here are the non-Santa routes we point people to, with prices current at time of writing.

The Christmas Suit and Tie Route

A printed suit is the grown-up version of the ugly sweater: you look dressed for the party, and the pattern does the talking. Our fun Christmas suits collection is built around three looks, all listed as Men's Large, size 42-44:

• Men's Red Icon Christmas Suit ($76.99): a full suit covered in snowmen, candy canes, bells, trees, and reindeer faces, with a matching tie. Two-button jacket, fully lined, double-vented, notch lapels, and pants with belt loops and extra fabric in the waistband and seams for tailoring. Slim fit.
• Men's Christmas Trees Jacket & Tie Set ($41.99): a red jacket printed with holiday trees and wreaths plus a matching tie. Wear it over your own dark pants.
• Men's Green Christmas Jacket & Tie ($65.99): the same idea in green with holiday ornaments and a matching tie.

The jacket-and-tie sets are the sneaky value here. You already own the pants, and the jacket comes off after the group photo if the room gets warm.

Ugly Sweater Without the Sweat

Ugly-sweater parties have a heat problem, and it's usually indoors. A printed long-sleeve tee solves it. The Adult Ugly Christmas Cardigan T-Shirt, Large ($26.99) is a single-layer, screen-printed long-sleeved tee that looks like a white dress shirt, a Santa Claus tie, and a button-up cardigan covered in red bows and cardinals. It's 100% polyester, Adult Large fits sizes 42-44, and the care line is refreshingly normal: turn inside out, machine wash cold on gentle, tumble dry low, don't iron. More prints live in our ugly Christmas sweaters collection.

Be the Tree

Someone has to be the tree, and it's a better job than it sounds, because everyone wants a picture with you. We carry two tiers:

• Adult Get Real Christmas Tree Costume ($73.99): realistic screen-printed photo detailing on polyester, one size fits most adults. Light, quick to put on, and easy to pack for the office.
• Adult Christmas Tree Costume ($146.99): a green foam-backed cloth tunic with silver ruffles and red ornaments, a large golden star with a face opening, and two foot covers made to look like presents. Its page notes it ships separately, can't go to a P.O. Box, may need extra processing days, and isn't available for expedited shipping, so order this one early.

Everything evergreen is in Christmas tree costumes.

The Christmas Story Bunny, for the Whole Family

The pink bunny suit from Aunt Clara is the most requested non-Santa costume we sell, and it comes in enough sizes to dress the whole table. All of them are in our A Christmas Story licensed costumes collection.

• Adult Christmas Bunny Costume ($78.99): a one-piece soft pink bunny suit with a hood and floppy ears, plus mittens, glasses, and bunny-face shoe covers with attached ears. Fits most adults up to a 47 regular, 100% polyester, and the piece measures 64-1/2" long by 25" wide. Spot clean with cold water and a damp cloth, air dry, and don't wash, bleach, dry clean, or iron.
• Kids Christmas Bunny Costume, 7-10 ($58.99): one-piece pink suit with matching hood and mittens, glasses and shoe covers included, one size fits most kids 7-10.
• Christmas Story Bunny Costume Dress for Women ($56.99): a one-piece pink dress with a matching hood, floppy ears, and pink gloves, one size fits most women sizes 6-10. Same joke, easier to sit down in.

Toddler and baby bunny suits round it out, so a couple, a family of four, or an entire department can show up as Ralphie's worst nightmare.

Sally and Jack, for the Halloween-to-Christmas Crowd

Some households consider The Nightmare Before Christmas a Christmas movie, and we're not here to argue. The Women's Plus Size Classic Sally Costume, XXL ($63.99) is an officially licensed Disney costume with a patchwork-print dress (the back is solid pink), glovettes, and a red wig; makeup isn't included, and it's sized Women's XXL, 18-20. For the littlest guest, the Toddler Jack Skellington Costume, 2T ($47.99) is a jumpsuit styled like the pinstriped jacket and black pants, with a detachable bat bow tie and a soft character hood that fastens under the chin. Shoes not included. The full cast is in Nightmare Before Christmas costumes.

Quick Add-Ons

If you've been told "festive, not costume," two small pieces get you there. The Plush Velvet Santa Hat, Red ($11.99) is a traditional velvet plush hat with a long-hair plush band and a 3-1/2 inch pom-pom, one size fits adults. The Jingle Bells Wrist Cuff ($16.99) is a faux-leather cuff with three working jingle bells and plush red fabric underneath. Fair warning: you will be heard coming.

Dress Code Check: Over-Clothes or Full Costume?

Before you buy, picture the room. Over-your-own-clothes pieces (the jacket-and-tie sets, the printed tee, the Santa hat, the wrist cuff) work at an office party where half the room is in regular clothes. Full costumes (the bunny suits, the trees, Sally and Jack) shine at a themed party, a family gathering, or anywhere a photo is planned. If you're unsure, the jacket-and-tie set plus a Santa hat is the safe middle. And remember that costumes can only be returned unopened with labels attached, within 30 days, and with a 15% restocking fee, so read the size line on each page before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the pink bunny suit the official A Christmas Story one?

Our pink bunny suits (adult, kids 7-10, toddler, baby, and the women's dress) are sold in our A Christmas Story Licensed Costumes collection. The individual product pages describe the suit itself rather than the license, so check the page of the exact size you're buying for the current licensing text.

Do the Christmas suits run true to size?

The listings we've linked are all Men's Large, size 42-44. The Red Icon Christmas Suit is described as slim fit with extra fabric in the waistband and seams for tailoring. We don't publish fit claims beyond what each product page states, so compare the listed size to a jacket you already own.

Can I wear the tree costume sitting down?

Neither tree page addresses sitting, so we won't guess. The Get Real tree is a one-size printed costume; the deluxe Adult Christmas Tree is a foam-backed cloth tunic with a large golden star that has a face opening and two present-shaped foot covers. If you'll be seated most of the night, the printed version is the lighter build.

Are the printed ugly-sweater tees machine washable?

The Adult Ugly Christmas Cardigan T-Shirt is. Its page says to turn the garment inside out, machine wash cold on a gentle cycle with like colors, use non-chlorine bleach only if necessary, tumble dry low, and do not iron. Check each tee's page, since care lines vary.