Aloha-style holiday wear
Trade the ugly sweater for something with real sunshine in it. We track down the best Hawaiian Christmas shirts made — hand-finished embroidered Santas, cotton prints cut and sewn in Honolulu, and silky rayon classics from Hawaii's legendary shirtmakers.
Collection No. 1
The dressiest way to do a Hawaiian Christmas. Brands like Bamboo Cay and Go Barefoot stitch their Santas, sleighs, and palm trees in raised embroidery on textured modal-blend and cotton panels — the detail reads as craft, not costume. These are the shirts people ask about at the party.
Peekaboo Santa Embroidered Shirt
Bamboo Cay
Surfing Santa Mele Kalikimaka Go Barefoot
Go Barefoot
Merry Christmas U.S. Flags & Santa
Bamboo Cay
Santa's Last Stop Go Barefoot Embroidered Shirt
Go Barefoot
Flying Santa Embroidered Christmas Shirt
Bamboo Cay
Santa Dropping In Embroidered Shirt
Bamboo Cay
Santa Up Up and Away Embroidered Shirt
Bamboo Cay
Christmas In Paradise Embroidered Shirt
Bamboo Cay
Collection No. 2
Cut and sewn in the islands, these all-cotton camp shirts carry original Christmas prints you won't find on the mainland — surfing Santas, honu pulling sleighs, snowmen on the beach. Cotton is the workhorse: breathable, easy to wash, and it softens with every wear. The everyday choice for a warm-weather December.
Made in Hawaii
Santa's Island Vacation Men's Hawaiian Shirt
Made in Hawaii
Christmas Honu Hula Ornaments Men's Hawaiian Shirt
Made in Hawaii
Santa Yesterday & Today Men's Hawaiian Shirt
Made in Hawaii
Christmas Tapa Santa Men's Hawaiian Shirt
Made in Hawaii
Santa's Christmas Break Men's Hawaiian Shirt
Made in Hawaii
Christmas in Hawaii Men's Hawaiian Shirt
Made in Hawaii
Santa Island Windsurfing Men's Hawaiian Shirt
Made in Hawaii
Christmas Longboard Santa Men's Hawaiian Shirt
Made in Hawaii
Collection No. 3
Rayon is the original aloha shirt fabric — the fluid drape you see in vintage 1950s photos. Hawaii makers like RJC and Paradise Found still cut these on the islands, with coconut-shell buttons and matched-pocket prints. Silky, cool against the skin, and the colors go deeper than any other fabric. This is the collector's pick.
Made in Hawaii
Hawaiian Santa More Beach Fun Shirt
RJC · Made in Hawaii
Christmas Hawaiian Style Button Down Shirt
RJC · Made in Hawaii
Christmas Poinsettia Panel Shirt
Paradise Found
Hawaiian Christmas Snowflake Rayon Shirt
RJC · Made in Hawaii
Santa Claus Beach Fun Xmas Hawaiian Style Rayon Shirt
RJC · Made in Hawaii
Christmas Leaf Rayon Shirt
RJC · Made in Hawaii
Women's
Monstera Christmas Red Peasant Blouse
RJC · Made in Hawaii
Women's
Christmas Poinsettia Women's Hawaiian Camp Shirt
Made in Hawaii
The Guide
"Mele Kalikimaka" is Hawaii's phonetic rendering of "Merry Christmas" — and the shirts that go with it have real differences. Here's the short version of what we've learned.
Raised stitching on a solid or textured ground reads dressy. Wear it to Christmas dinner, the office party, or church — anywhere an ugly sweater would be trying too hard. Sizes run generous; most fit true with room to tuck or untuck.
All-cotton prints breathe, machine-wash, and shrug off a busy holiday. Look for "made in Hawaii" on the label — island-sewn shirts use matched pockets (the print lines up across the pocket seam), the classic mark of quality aloha wear.
The drapey, silky fabric of the original 1930s aloha shirt. Colors saturate beautifully and it stays cool in any climate. Wash gentle and cold, hang dry, and a good rayon shirt outlasts a decade of Decembers.
Limited batch
Island makers sew in small runs, and when a print sells out it usually never comes back. These designs are down to their final pieces. The clock below is real: it's counting down to Christmas morning.
Good to know
It's "Merry Christmas" adapted to the Hawaiian language's sound system — Hawaiian has no "r" or "s," so "Merry Christmas" becomes "Mele Kalikimaka." Bing Crosby's 1950 recording made the phrase famous worldwide.
Check the label for makers like RJC, Paradise Found, or Pacific Legend, and look for matched pockets — the chest pocket print aligns perfectly with the shirt body. Island-sewn shirts also typically use coconut-shell buttons rather than plastic.
Cotton if you want low-maintenance and a crisper feel; rayon if you want the classic silky drape and richer color. For embroidered shirts, the ground fabric is often a modal or cotton blend chosen to hold the stitching flat.
Cotton: machine wash cold, tumble low. Rayon and embroidered shirts: gentle cycle or hand wash cold, then hang dry — heat is the enemy. Iron inside-out on low if needed, avoiding direct contact with embroidery.
Small-batch island prints sell through fastest in early December. Order by mid-December for standard shipping within the U.S., earlier for the limited pieces above — those quantities are real and they don't restock.
