Thanksgiving Shirts and Turkey Trot Team Shirts: Sizes, Timing and Group Orders
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26. Ready-made Thanksgiving and turkey trot shirts from DTF Sirius come in adult XS to 5XL, youth, toddler and baby sizes, are made to order and ship within 3–5 business days; order by Friday, November 13. DTF transfers for shirts you press yourself ship the same day when ordered by 2 PM ET; order by Tuesday, November 17 for most of the US or Friday, November 20 for the Northeast.
Thanksgiving shirts split into two jobs. The dinner-table shirt is a joke or a role worn once a year by a family that already matches at Christmas. The turkey trot shirt is a team uniform for a 5K that starts at eight in the morning, often in the cold, for a group that may include a stroller and a grandparent walking. This guide covers both: what to pick, how to size a group you cannot measure in person, and when to order so the box arrives before the pie.
Ready-made picks by occasion
| Occasion | Ready-made pick | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey trot team | Turkey Trot 2026 family shirts | Race-bib roles: Runner, Walker, Cheer Squad, Mini Trotter, Tiny Trotter and a Stroller Division bodysuit. |
| Family dinner | Thanksgiving Awards and Nutrition Facts sets | Each person gets a different award or label; the set still matches. |
| Kids and first Thanksgiving | Kids Thanksgiving and My First Thanksgiving | Toddler tees and baby bodysuits for the youngest at the table. |
| Couples | Sweet Potato couples shirts | A two-shirt set for the pair hosting. |
| Football afternoon | Thanksgiving football shirts and sweatshirts | For the group that moves from the table to the couch. |
| Friendsgiving | Friendsgiving 2026 sweatshirts | Dated, so the group photo is labeled for later. |
| The host | Fall sweatshirts and fall mugs | Wearable from October through the holiday. |
Everything above lives in Thanksgiving and fall shirts, part of our ready-made designs. Each ready-made set is printed to order in full color, ships within 3–5 business days with tracking, and orders of $120 or more ship free.
Sizes: what each group gets
Ready-made Thanksgiving shirts put every size on one product page, so a family or a team orders from a single listing by picking the design, size and color per person.
| Group | Sizes | Garment | Notes for runners and walkers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | XS to 5XL | Unisex cotton tee; sweatshirt on selected designs | True to size. Runners who layer over a long-sleeve base often size up one. |
| Youth | S to XL | Youth tee | Youth XL is close to an adult S. |
| Toddler | 2T to 5T | Toddler tee | Mini Trotter age; order with room for a layer underneath. |
| Baby | 6M to 24M | Short-sleeve bodysuit | The Stroller Division. Order the size the baby will be in late November. |
Order-by dates for Thanksgiving 2026
Two schedules apply, and they are different. Ready-made shirts need production time before they ship. DTF transfers ship the same business day when ordered by 2 PM ET Monday through Friday, but you still need the transit days and an evening to press. The dates below are based on typical ground transit times and are not guarantees; the week before Thanksgiving is a heavy carrier week, so the buffer day matters.
| What you are ordering | Ship-to region | Order by | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-made shirts | Anywhere in the US | Friday, November 13 | 3–5 business days to make, then 1–4 business days in transit |
| DTF transfers (press yourself) | New York, New Jersey, New England | Friday, November 20, by 2 PM ET | Ships Friday, typically arrives Monday or Tuesday; press Tuesday or Wednesday evening |
| DTF transfers (press yourself) | Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest | Tuesday, November 17, by 2 PM ET | 2–4 business days in transit plus a buffer day |
| DTF transfers (press yourself) | Texas, Mountain states, West Coast | Friday, November 13, by 2 PM ET | Transit can run longer than four days to the far West |
A Thursday or Friday order the week of Thanksgiving is a gamble anywhere; we do not ship on Thanksgiving Day, and most carriers do not deliver. Regional transit detail is on the same-day DTF transfers page.
Group orders: collecting sizes without chasing people
The slowest part of any team order is the roster. A shared spreadsheet with four columns, sent two weeks before the order date, gets it done: name, role or design, size, and shirt color if the set offers more than one. For a turkey trot, assign roles rather than asking: runners and walkers are obvious, children under five are Mini or Tiny Trotters, anyone pushing a stroller gets the Stroller Division bodysuit for the passenger. Set a hard reply date two days before you order and order for the silent ones using the split below.
A starting size split for adults when nobody answers
| Size | Share of a typical mixed adult group |
|---|---|
| S | about 10% |
| M | about 25% |
| L | about 30% |
| XL | about 20% |
| 2XL and up | about 15% |
This is a common starting point, not a rule; a running club skews smaller and a family dinner skews larger. Because ready-made shirts are printed to order, size swaps are not accepted after the fact, so an extra L and XL in the order is cheaper than a reprint.
Pressing your own team shirts with DTF transfers
Running clubs, school groups and fundraisers that already own a heat press usually print their own: it lets you use performance tees for the runners and cotton for the walkers, add sponsor logos, and reorder the week of the race when three more people sign up. Lay the whole team out on one 22-inch-wide sheet in the DTF Gang Sheet Builder; the price is $0.75 per inch of length, so a 22 × 12 sheet is $9 and a 22 × 60 is $45, with no minimum. Counts below use a quarter-inch gap between designs.
| Element | Typical size | Fits on 22 × 60 ($45) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult front, race crest | 10 × 12 in | about 8 |
| Youth front | 8 × 10 in | about 10 |
| Bib-style number for the back | 6 × 8 in | about 21 |
| Sponsor or team logo, left chest | 3 × 3 in | about 108 |
| Name across the shoulders | 2 × 10 in | about 52 |
A 20-person team with a front crest, a back number and a left-chest sponsor logo fits on about three 22 × 60 sheets, with the small logos tucked into the gaps. If the whole team wears the same front and nothing else, DTF Transfers by Size is simpler: set the size and quantity and skip the layout. Full pricing is on DTF gang sheet pricing; school and club volume options are on bulk DTF transfers.
Fabric and press notes for a cold-morning race
- DTF transfers press on cotton, polyester and blends alike, so runners in performance tees and walkers in cotton can share one sheet.
- Press at 315–325°F for 6–12 seconds with medium-firm pressure and a hot peel. On polyester performance fabric, stay at the low end of the range to limit dye migration. Settings are on our heat press instructions page.
- For long-sleeve layers worn under the team tee, keep the back number high on the shoulders so it clears a hydration belt or a jacket tied at the waist.
- Press a test shirt first and wash it once; a correctly pressed transfer survives the race, the laundry and next year's trot.
Frequently asked questions
When should I order Thanksgiving shirts for 2026?
Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26. Ready-made shirts are made to order and ship within 3–5 business days, so order by Friday, November 13. DTF transfers you press yourself ship the same day when ordered by 2 PM ET; order by Tuesday, November 17 for most of the US or Friday, November 20 for the Northeast.
What sizes do turkey trot and Thanksgiving shirts come in?
Ready-made sets come in adult unisex XS to 5XL, youth S to XL, toddler 2T to 5T and baby bodysuits 6M to 24M, all on one product page so a family or team can be ordered together.
How do I order matching shirts for a turkey trot team?
For a ready-made set, open the Turkey Trot 2026 product, pick a role, size and color for each person and add each to the cart. For a team pressing its own shirts, collect sizes in a shared sheet, lay the designs out on a gang sheet and order by 2 PM ET on your order-by date.
Is there a minimum for a group or team order?
No. Order one shirt or thirty, and one 22 × 12 gang sheet ($9) or many. Orders of $120 or more ship free. Schools and clubs that order regularly can ask about volume options by email.
Can DTF transfers go on polyester running shirts?
Yes. DTF presses on cotton, polyester and blends. On polyester performance fabric, press at the low end of the 315–325°F range for 6–12 seconds with a hot peel.
Can I add names or sponsor logos to team shirts?
With DTF transfers, yes: names, numbers and sponsor logos fit in the gaps of the same gang sheet as the front design, at the same price per inch. Ready-made sets are printed as shown and do not include custom names.
What if a shirt arrives with a misprint?
Email photos to info@dtfsirius.com within 7 days of delivery and we remake or refund it. Size changes on printed-to-order shirts are not accepted, so check sizes before ordering.
Browse Thanksgiving and fall shirts, or start a team sheet in the DTF Gang Sheet Builder. Planning ahead for December? See Christmas DTF transfer order deadlines and the Holiday Shop.