Don we now our gay apparel

Despite whatever you might be thinking, the title of this post is nothing more than an introduction to Christmas clothing, in the words of a famous song.

In the words of another famous song, it is the most wonderful time of the year, when wonderful things happen—things like holiday parties.

There is a dress code for holiday parties, and it consists of three rules:

1. You must dress in Christmas colors (red, green, white, silver, and gold) or at least incorporate graphic elements with a Christmas theme.
2. You must on no account wear the same holiday outfit twice in the same holiday season.
3. You must never wear the same outfit to the same venue two years in a row.

For years now, I have been abiding by these rules, and have never had trouble following them—until this year. A combination of higher personal standards and the addition of an extra holiday party to my December routine have created a unique challenge: How to be Unfashionistically fabulous for three Christmas occasions in one year?

The first occasion was the holiday party at my new place of employment. Being a newbie and not knowing what to expect, my choices for this party were limited. My preference was to wear my Christmas knee socks (which have served me well in two Christmases past) with a white skirt and a new (pre-owned) red top I had gotten in an eBay lot. However, not knowing how my coworkers would react to knee socks with pom poms, I chose something a little less attention-grabbing and wore boots instead. Woulda worn those fuzzy white boots from my last post if I owned them, but on second thought, they're probably even more attention-grabbing than snowflake socks!

The end result was this getup, which turned out to be a little too dressy for the party, but better to look like a fop than a flop—that's what I always say!

So one holiday outfit down; two to go.

The second outfit will make its appearance at the Christmas Eve party of some family friends, as well as, more than likely, a Christmas Eve church service. It must be fun and informal, but still show some style. The snowflake socks are out, as I'm pretty sure I wore them last year. I used up my first-choice outfit at the office party, so now I'll need to explore the darker reaches of my closet to find the raiments I seek.

Some options:

This beautiful jade-green skirt with gold embroidery, matching sash, and gold sweater. My mother bought me this outfit a few years ago, but I've only had one opportunity to wear the skirt, because it's so plush, I have trouble finding occasions formal enough for it. It's probably too formal for the Christmas Eve party, too.

 Along the same lines, but more casual, I could choose this magenta-white-pink-and-green skirt (magenta's close enough to red that it can get away with being worn for Christmas!). The colorful tiers and abundance of ruffles give it a feeling of being less elegant, more fun. Less embassy ball, more Little House on the Prairie. I'd pair it with a green T-shirt, which might not be the warmest option available. I wore this to the party about 5 years ago, but I don't think anyone'd remember.

Another possibility is to go the more sophisticated route and wear pants. The last time I wore pants to the holiday party was...boy, I don't even remember, so it would certainly be novel for me. I've got this new teal ruched-and-lace top (also from an eBay lot) that I haven't worn yet. And paired with my platform Mary Janes, even boring ol' black pants could be fun.

A  final option would be to daringly defy the conventions of Christmas colors and wear... blue! This midnight blue dress (which I just bought at the thrift store for under 5 dollars) is made of velvet, which is opulent enough to give it a fair place at a Christmas party. The blue color could be construed as an allegory for cold and snow. With the right socks, I think I could make this work! Unfortunately, I can't find the right socks.

The third party of Christmas is the family gathering on Christmas day. I'm not sure how it will go this year, but often it consists of my aunt, mother, brother, and various significant others sitting around the coffee table and opening presents, followed by a dinner with the same participants. It is a day for wearing pajamas most of the morning and changing into sweatshirts for the afternoon. I've got the pajamas and sweatshirts covered, but if we have to do any visiting, for example, with my new step-family, my options have run pretty thin. This might be the year one of my holiday outfits has to make an encore.