Pajama Gift Set Ideas: How to Put One Together Yourself

A pajama gift set is something you assemble yourself: a good pair of pajamas as the main piece, plus two or three smaller things that go with an evening at home. Buy the pajamas first, choose the extras to match, and present it all together. Built this way it costs about what a single mid range gift costs, and it looks considered.

Start with the pajamas and buy them properly

The pajamas carry the whole gift, so this is where the budget goes. Look for a fibre that lasts and a fit the person can wear all year. Isla Lune pieces are 100% cotton with no blends, designed in Victoria, British Columbia and made in small batches. They are sold as separates rather than fixed sets, which is useful for a gift because you can pick a top in one size and pants in another. A camisole is $48 CAD and pants are $68 CAD, so a top and pants together comes to $116 CAD. Sizes run XXS to XXL and shipping is free across Canada. You can see the full range in cotton pajamas.

Choose a colourway and build around it

Picking the colour first makes every other decision easier. There are three: Love Letter, which is the garden floral, Raspberry, and Moonmilk, which is the stone shade. Love Letter suits someone who likes a print. Raspberry is the brightest of the three. Moonmilk is the quietest and the easiest to match, so it is the safest choice if you do not know their taste well.

Once you have the colour, everything you add can echo it. A soap or a candle in a matching tone, ribbon in the same family, tissue paper that picks up one shade from the print. The gift reads as one thing rather than a pile of separate objects.

What to add alongside the pajamas

Two or three items is the right number. More than that and the pajamas stop being the gift. Some combinations that work:

• A bar of good soap and a small hand cream
• Loose leaf tea and a mug
• A candle and a box of matches worth keeping
• A paperback you have already read and can vouch for
• Bath salts and a face cloth
• Wool socks in a colour that goes with the pajamas
• A small tin of chocolates or shortbread

Pick things that get used up. A gift where most of it is consumable does not become clutter, and the pajamas are the part that stays.

Getting the size right

This is the part people worry about, and it is worth a minute of thought. Sleepwear is forgiving, so if you are between two sizes, take the larger one. If you know what size they buy in a t shirt, that is usually a safe guide for a camisole. Our post on what size pajamas you should actually buy goes through it in detail. Isla Lune accepts returns within 30 days as long as the pieces are unworn, unwashed and still have their tags, so a gift that needs swapping can be swapped.

Putting it together

Fold the pajamas flat rather than rolling them, lay them in the bottom of a box or a basket, and set the smaller items on top so the pajamas are the first thing seen. Tissue paper between the layers keeps everything sitting where you put it. Write the note by hand and put it on top rather than taping it to the outside.

If you are posting the gift, send the pajamas in their own packaging and put the extras around them, since anything with liquid in it travels better with fabric as padding.

What it costs to build

A top and pants together is $116 CAD. Two or three small additions usually land between $20 and $50 depending on what you choose. That puts a complete gift somewhere around $140 to $170 CAD, and shipping within Canada is free. If you want to stay lower, a camisole on its own at $48 CAD with a candle and a bar of soap still reads as a full gift.

Who this suits

It works for a sister, a friend, a mom, a new mother, someone moving into a first place of their own, or anyone in a stretch where a quiet evening is the thing they need most. We have other angles on this in gifts for women who have everything and gifts for your sister.

Common questions

Are pajamas a good gift?

Pajamas work well as a gift because they get used constantly and most people delay buying good ones for themselves. The two things to get right are the fibre and the size. Choose something that will still be worn in a year, check the return policy before you buy, and keep the receipt in case a size needs swapping.

What do you put in a pajama gift basket?

Start with the pajamas, then add two or three small things around them: a bar of soap, a candle, loose leaf tea and a mug, wool socks, bath salts, or a paperback. Favour things that get used up so the gift does not turn into clutter. Fold the pajamas flat at the bottom and set everything else on top.

What do you pair with pajamas for a gift?

Anything that belongs to an evening at home. Tea, chocolate, a candle, hand cream, socks, a book, bath salts. Match the colour of one or two items to the pajamas and the whole thing looks planned rather than assembled. Keep the additions small so the pajamas stay the centre of the gift.

Are pajamas a good Christmas gift?

They are one of the easier Christmas gifts to get right, because sizing is forgiving and almost nobody has too many pairs. Buy early enough that a size exchange is still possible before the day. Choosing a colour the person already wears elsewhere in their wardrobe is a reliable way to pick without asking them.

What is a good pajama gift set for her?

A cotton camisole and matching pants, a bar of soap, and a candle covers it. That is three items, one of which lasts for years and two of which get used up. If you want to add a fourth, make it edible. Keep the palette to two colours so it reads as one gift.