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Christmas Outfits for Small Dogs: Boo’s Holiday Closet

Boo’s Christmas look, in the photo that has been on this site for years, was a Santa bib with two jingle bells at the collar. Nothing over his head, nothing on his legs, the whole outfit removable in one motion, and it still reads as Christmas from across the room. That is the standard these Christmas outfits for small dogs are ranked by.

Christmas is different from Halloween in one useful way: the outfits are allowed to stay on. A sweater on a small dog in December is clothing, not a costume, and for a dog like Boo, whose coat was clipped short, it was the practical kind. So this list runs from the things a dog can wear all month to the things that last one photo, and it says which is which. If you have not read the honest answer on whether dogs like clothes, start there.

Wear all December

None of these are things Boo owned; most of them did not exist when he did. They are what we would buy today for a dog with his coat, in the spirit of his closet rather than from it.

1. The ugly Christmas sweater. The family-photo pick. A knit with a reindeer or snowflake pattern is the one Christmas outfit that is also just a warm sweater, and the KYEESE one has close to two thousand reviews, which for small-dog knitwear mostly means the sizing chart holds up. The KYEESE ugly Christmas sweater.

2. The classic reindeer knit. Same idea, plainer pattern, over two thousand reviews. If the dog will wear one sweater, this is the one that gets worn on every cold walk from Thanksgiving to New Year. The reindeer-and-snowflake knit sweater.

3. The Christmas pajamas, four of them. Pajamas are the only costume dogs ask for twice. They are soft, stretchy, and cover the belly, which is exactly what a short-coated small dog wants on a cold floor. A four-pack covers the whole holiday week. The XPUDAC Christmas pajama four-pack.

4. The snowman onesie. A pair of pajamas that reads as a costume: white, with a snowman face on the chest. It is the one on this list that does both jobs. The snowman pajama costume.

5. The fleece turtleneck, three of them. For the dog with a short clip in a cold December, which was Boo’s exact situation. Fleece is lighter than a knit, dries fast after a wet walk, and a three-pack means one is always clean. Fitwarm’s fleece turtleneck three-pack is the first thing the winter clothes page tells you to buy.

Wear for the photo

6. The Santa suit. Hat plus jacket. The jacket is fine for a while; the hat lasts a photo, and that is enough. Nothing in it wraps the chest tighter than a sweater would. The two-piece Santa costume, small.

7. The elf hat and collar. The collar-and-hat approach: the least fabric for the most Christmas, and the one dogs that freeze in full suits usually tolerate. The PAWCHIE elf hat set, small.

8. The full elf. A hooded coat in green and red for the dog that already likes hoodies. If yours does not, go back to number seven. The Yoption elf costume with hat.

9. The antlers. A headband. Thirty seconds of wear, one photo, thirteen hundred reviews, and the picture everyone sends to the group chat. BWOGUE’s reindeer antler headband.

10. The plaid bandana. The dignified option, and the costume for the costume-refuser. A red-and-green plaid bandana gets the dog into the Christmas card with zero negotiation. The two-pack of small plaid Christmas bandanas.

Boo’s own rule, restated for December

The best outfit is the one the dog forgets it is wearing. Boo wore his bib, got his photo, and went on with his evening, and the bells were the only sign anything had changed. Build the holiday wardrobe in that order: the sweater or pajamas the dog genuinely benefits from, then one photo piece on top, then off. Tinsel, ribbon, and anything with small parts stay on the tree, not the dog.

Sweater fit, and why it is not vanity

Measure first and use the brand’s chart (how to measure is on the winter clothes page). For sweaters, leave room for the dog to go to the bathroom without fabric in the way. Supervise the first wear. A dog in a short clip gets cold faster than you think, so the sweater is not vanity; the haircut page explains why.

Boo’s year-round wardrobe is in Boo’s Closet, the holiday before this one is on the Thanksgiving page, and if the Christmas list is for the Boo fan in your life rather than the dog, the official Gund plush is the gift that has worked every year since 2012.

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