Most Christmas dog clothes are bought a size wrong and worn once. This one arrives with a proper chart behind it — back length, chest and neck for every one of the four sizes — so you can measure the dog in front of you rather than order by breed and hope. Five prints run from a snowman on skis to a full Christmas night scene, and that is the part everyone looks at, but fit is the part that decides whether it gets worn twice.

It is cotton, and that matters in both directions. Cotton is soft against the skin, breathes rather than trapping damp heat, washes at a sensible temperature and does not build up the static that makes cheap fleece cling and crackle. It also drinks rain and holds it. Treat this as indoor and dry-day warmth for a short-coated dog — the thing that goes on in a cold kitchen or for a crisp walk round the block, not a waterproof for a hillside in sleet.

• Small: 26cm back length, 38cm chest, 26cm neck
• Medium: 32cm back length, 48cm chest, 32cm neck
• Large: 38cm back length, 58cm chest, 36cm neck
• Extra large: 48cm back length, 68cm chest, 42cm neck
• Cotton
• Five prints: snowman skiing, three snowmen, Christmas hat, Santa Claus, Christmas fantasy night

Measure before you choose. Back length is collar to the base of the tail; chest girth is taken right behind the front legs, around the deepest part of the ribcage. Breed is a poor guide, and two cocker spaniels can be two sizes apart. This maker's sizing also runs small against British sizing, so if your dog falls between two, take the larger.

Who it's for: Short-coated small and medium dogs — dachshunds, Jack Russells, Italian greyhounds — who feel December indoors, and anyone who wants a Christmas photograph the dog is comfortable in.