Advent: Christmas Wear

by | Dec 15, 2018 | Holidays

Advent: Christmas Wear | I'm such a grinch when it comes to Christmas attire. I'm trying to get better, but its slow. What are your Christmas wear traditions?

I’m not even sure where to start on the topic of Christmas Wear. But, as I’ve processed, I’ve come down to five categories: Ugly Christmas Sweater, matching pajamas, wearing red, what do you wear to Christmas day, Christmas festive attire.

Advent: Christmas Wear | I'm such a grinch when it comes to Christmas attire. I'm trying to get better, but its slow. What are your Christmas wear traditions?

Ugly Christmas Sweater

So, this has become a fad. I remember back in the day (yes, I just officially made myself old) when I went I first learned about the ugly sweater fad and it started being a thing. It was in my “single 20s” years. There was a Christmas party when I was home over Christmas break one year with the singles group at the church I grew up in. One of my high school friends was living back in our hometown and she invited me to tag along. We literally talked ourselves through how we could politely go to my mom and ask her to borrow a Christmas sweater from her collection. 

When this whole thing first started it was basically a “make fun of your mom’s festive Christmas attire” party. You would either raid her sweater tub or hit up a thrift store for a festive find. 

These days it’s a whole “thing.” And, when I say a thing, I mean you know you’ve arrived as an idea when Hobby Lobby has a whole section of an aisle devoted to you. Now “ugly sweaters” are just a thing you can do to the store on the regular this time of year and purchase. 

Come on people. Let’s go back to the olden days when you just politely complimented your mom’s sweater and asked if you could wear it to your Christmas party the following weekend and discreetly sneak out of the house with big hair and gaudy makeup to match it. 

Love you mom, and your awesome sweaters! At least they don’t have puff paint on them anymore!

Matching Pajamas

Is this your thing? I’ve always wanted it to be my thing. I’ve wanted the photos and the cuteness. I’ve tried for my sister and me before. But, we don’t really like pictures on Christmas morning. So, we’ve not done it. 

But, this year will be different. It’s our first married Christmas with babies at my moms and we are all in. I found them all last year after Christmas online and we have been anticipating them all year. Well, by we, I mean my mom and I. I was kind and we did get pajama pants and t-shirts so the guys aren’t in anything weird. But, I won’t promise that those days won’t come. 

Now, the real question is how do you get a picture of everyone in their pajamas? Do you invite a neighbor over, do you try to put the camera on a random shelf and hope it doesn’t cut anyone’s head off. Because if we are all matching, there will be proof! 

I’m going to have to get back to you on this part. But, what about you? Do you have a place you always like to buy pajamas or participate in this trend?

Wearing Red

So, red is not really one of my colors. I have some and I try, but I just don’t really wear red any other time of the year but Christmas. I know this sounds dumb, but I think it goes back to all my years of working at Ouachita and our biggest rivals were red. Like the school across the street. I think I just can’t get it out of my tiger-loving mind that red does not equal Reddies. I’m sorry. 

I did get brave this year and bought a red dress with polka dots on it. I’ve already worn it for one Christmas party and I intend to wear it to another as well as Christmas church service. It’s a thing. I tried to be brave. I mean I bought the red polka dot dress and took the purple floral pattern one back. This is progress people!

What do you wear on Christmas Day?

So, it feels weird to even ask this topic. I promise I’m not being weird here. But, what do you wear? Are you a stay in your jammies all day kind of group? Or, do you dress up a little because it’s a special day? Or, do you just get ready like its any other day and move along?

For us, I’ll say, it depends. We usually do our extended family thing on Christmas Eve. So, that’s the day I usually do my hair and makeup and we are something cute. I know my sister and I will take our annual picture in front of the tree and there will be other photos. And you know us Southern ladies have always got to be camera ready. 

But, Christmas day we usually stay in our pj’s as long as possible. Sometimes we go out for an afternoon movie and I switch into real people’s clothes only to come home and put pj’s back on. I’m already thinking about the fact that this will be Little Man’s first Christmas and I’m not ready to be the mom in the quilted robe in all his Christmas morning videos. 

I’m just curious how other people handle this dilemma. Oh and I always pack a set of real clothes for each day I’m home over the Christmas holiday. And somehow I find that I basically wear the same shirt and a couple of pants the whole time I’m home.  

Thankfully those people have to love be. #stinky

Christmas Festive Attire

So, I gotta know where you are on this one. Do you get into it? Are you a subtle Christmas dresser? Meaning, do you give the nod towards Christmas with something already in your closet (guilty!). Or, do you go all-in?

I’ll be honest. I’m kinda a party pooper in this category. But, since becoming a McKinney, we get a new Christmas shirt each year for our annual shopping trip the weekend before Thanksgiving and I love that I have something cute and festive but not loaded down with heavy paint and tons of glitter. I mean I can go in for the day, but it’s nice to have something to wear throughout the month of December to complement the season.

Oh, I’ve not always been like this. Growing up, my Christmas shirts came out the day after Thanksgiving. complimented I’d make my mom get them out early so we could pack one to take with us to my grandparents where we went for Thanksgiving. I did not want to be caught without my festive sweater.

Geeze, there are so many funny things tied to Christmas attire. Where do you fall on this category spectrum? Are you all in or a bit of a Grinch-like me?

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