To think the biggest difference between family Christmas' is whether you dress up or not

[Namechange234567]

This is a light-hearted one after some frankly depressing threads this morning!

But after having a few blended Christmas' now the biggest difference doesn't seem to be when you eat, whether you have turkey or not, if you have alcohol from 6am onwards but whether you dress up. My family is firmly in the pyjamas from Christmas Eve to boxing day camp, we might throw on some different leggings to go for a walk, but hey we're wearing big coats so is it really needed?! But we then go to some houses and suddenly everyone is super fancy, wearing heels inside the house and maybe even changing again for dinner.

I feel like all Christmas invitations should come with a dress code!

YABU = No clearly there's something else to watch out for with a Christmas invite because other families are crazy
YANBU = I've also been incorrectly dressed at another family's Christmas

We dress up to a certain point - jeans or trousers and a nice top. Or a dress but nothing sparkly. Mine and DH’s families are the same

Not to derail but you need to let your fanny breathe woman! Fair enough, wear underwear for daytime PJ wearing but at night let it loose!

This thread has reminded me that I need to get out my Ho Ho Hovis jumper that I won from Hovis several years ago. It's very warm so is perfect for Christmas Day walks. That will probably be the extent of my dressing up this year, I will brush my hair though and might even put a bit of lippy on if the wild mood takes me

I wear leggings though... There would be very little difference with air circulation either way!

Christ.

Can't understand people saying pyjamas aren't warm, of course some of them are! I love wearing my pyjamas, especially when we get home after a busy day out, but I wouldn't wear them with visitors or to someone else's home.

Our family seem to wear a variety in the day itself, but it has to be Christmassy. This year dd has a Christmas dress, which she's been wearing to all the different events we've had, like carols and panto etc.

I can’t imagine wearing heels inside, but I don’t wear any shoes inside, surely that’s worse than showering and putting a clean pair of pjs on? If we go elsewhere for Christmas I’d usually wear leggings & a long Christmas jumper but find with the cooking & house full of people it gets too hot so switch to a t shirt or something. If we’re hosting it’s again a t shirt w leggings as I’m not wearing jeans & a jumper or posh dress to cook in, but I couldn’t give a single fuck what anyone else wants to wear, ball gown or ratty old onesie.

I'm another who grew up getting a new dress/outfit to wear to church on Christmas morning that became my party clothes for the year. We also were only allowed stockings before church, and the rest of the presents were opened once we got home. Christmas dinner would be around 3 o'clock. DH's family did getting up and opening all the presents straight away, then watch telly while MIL got dinner ready for 12 o'clock, and they just wore whatever they fancied/every day clothes.

When we were first together, it was a bit of a shock for both of us the first time, but now we've come down somewhere in the middle. We sort of picked the best bits of both and made our own traditions. We don't get dressed up, but everyone gets dressed (usually Christmas jumpers), and I go to midnight mass rather than Christmas morning service. We still do stockings first thing, before breakfast, and open the rest of the presents later in the morning (especially if we're hosting - my parents/PIL bring their presents and we all open them together), and we have lunch early afternoon. The TV doesn't go on until after lunch, and we'll usually play a boardgame or do a quiz or something later. I like that we found our own middle ground!

We’re not super smart here, but we go to church in the morning so it’s cords, shirts and Christmas jumpers for the children and chinos, shirt & tie and a nice pullover for the men. My mum and I (the only women) will wear a dress or a nice top and a skirt etc. all with smart coats on over the top for church. We’ll then stay in those clothes at home or if we visit family, but are back in our farm clothes to do the horses and other animals by 4:30/5pm! It would never occur to me to stay in pjs or to turn up in pjs to someone else’s house…..

Problem?

Matching pjs go on on Xmas eve and stay on through the presents on Xmas Day morning. Then pretty much all wear jeans and a Christmassy sweater. I'll have on my fave boots that look great but are flat enough for me to be running around my kitchen in, as well as dancing around the kitchen once the wine is open.

I am from a religious family, so i put on my 'Sunday best'. Not necessarily heels and chandelier earrings, but usually a smart dress and makeup.

When i go to church these days (catholic), the smartest dressed, who put us all to shame, are African families. They all wear the most beautiful dresses and suits, all co-ordinated, hair and nails done, bright and eye-catching, and kids included.

I guess it all depends on family traditions and culture. I've never had a dress-down christmas and i just couldn't do it.

I've never dressed up for Christmas but I've never worn pyjamas either. Dh's family have always dressed up. I usually wear my jersey dress from seasalt with a long sleeved plain top and leggings underneath. I will probably wear Christmas earrings and my hair done a bit more fancy than my usual ponytail. Tbh when i was little I used to wear one of those knitted cloth kits dresses and wooly tights so not much different really.

I'm from a 'dress up' family and I always dress up, it's one of the things that makes it feel like Christmas honestly. Jeans/ leggings and a jumper wold feel like any other day to me. I love getting into my pjs when I get home of an evening, but I need to have been dressed through the day. I'll look forward to getting into them Christmas night when we've waved the in laws off. I couldn't sit around MIL and FIL in pyjamas I really couldn't, but even if they weren't coming I'd still want to dress up Christmas Day.

In-laws, DH and the one relative of mine we host on the day are sort of in the middle. What I'd consider 'smartly dressed' (or in DH's case 'just about presentable') rather than 'dressed up'. DD and I will be in full, sparkly finery, her because she's never met a sequin she didn't like and me because it just makes me feel a bit more festive.

My ex's family were firmly of the seriously dressed down persuasion, and definitely made me feel like a weirdo for wanting to go a bit fancy, and I hated it honestly.

Always dressed up as kids, but then we were a church going family and my mum didn’t think trousers were acceptable for church (she does now).

here it’s Christmas jumpers…

We get dressed up for Christmas. But I wouldn't judge anyone turning up in pjs if that's what they like to wear christmas day. I'm big into people doing whatever they like on chrismtas day