I admit it. I am one of those moms who makes sure we have matching pjs for the holidays. I managed to skip them for her first year but Cassidy and I have had them every year since. We’ve done all of the various style. I think most families have done the Scandinavian-style pjs at some point. I’ve sprung for those once or twice. One year, we lucked out and found some at Hospital Thrift Shop. 
Somehow, we found mine and my daughter’s on separate trips! Then there’s the onesies. They are not for everyone (a little too warm for me) but they were fun for one Christmas. We even did a pandemic theme in 2020!
Funnily enough, our masked Santa pjs are the only ones we used for a holiday card. Looking back, I didn’t take photos of us in every set. Isn’t that the whole point? To dress everyone up and take photos to share with world? It got me thinking… When did family matching pjs become a thing?
Since no question goes unanswered these days, I Googled it. I was not surprised to find this trend became popular around ten years ago, with the growth of social media. Everyone, from the baby to grandpa, and the dog in the same jammies, smiling in front of the decked-out fireplace. It certainly makes for a well-received post. But, I was amazed to discover that family matching for the holidays goes way back. Department store catalogs started showing these sets in the 1950s! Their popularity grew from there.
While the trend exploded on social media, there must be to these sets besides the photo opp. To me, they’re just so festive. It doesn’t matter which type we’ve had, we both get so excited to break out the new pjs. The joy on her face every time we both wear them is contagious. Snuggling up together in our cozy jammies, enjoying a hot chocolate, decorating the tree; all of these moments pump up the holiday spirit.
Ever since I started talking to Tiny Tuckets about Bartlett’s pjs, I knew which set we would get for this year. Working with their watercolor artist and deciding which farm icons to include was so fun. Then, when they finally arrived, they were so soft. Cassidy has had hers for a few months already and worn them many times. I didn’t get to chance to snag a set from our first shipment so I had to wait for our recent restock. Since the holiday season unofficially starts in November, it is probably time to rock them together. Maybe, I’ll even remember to get a picture this year.
~ Kate O’Brien
Gift & Website Manager