What Ever Happened to Dressing Up for the Holidays?

Remember when you were in high school, and the question you asked your parents when there was a family event was if you had to dress up? Like putting on something nice was a major inconvenience for you between all the lying, complaining, and generally feeling sorry for yourself that you had to do? If you could go to Grandma's in jeans, a T-shirt and your Chuck Taylors, it would almost be bearable. Almost.

"God forbid you should look nice," your mother would say (not mine, because she was a hippie and had similar feelings about dressing up).

I kind of wish all of the mothers and grandmothers had stood their ground on that, because now, it sort of just feels half-assed getting together with frumpy looking family, and being frumpy myself. My husband and I will be at my in-laws for Thanksgiving, and my mother-in-law will make the delicious meal, but everyone will be dressed casual. Aside from the extra (and extra-delicious) food, what makes it any different from any other dinner I have with my in-laws?

Now I realize that the black stockings and heels, dark skirts and sophisticated sweaters, and the ties and button-down shirts all my relatives wore to special occasions when I was growing up added to the special feeling of holidays. It was a way of respecting the holidays, respecting each other, and respecting themselves. I miss it!

Well, this year I'm taking matters into my own hands. I'm going to dress things up a little. Instead of conforming to the usual casual dress code, I am going to kick it up a notch and wear a skirt, stockings (not nude color, because even FashionNoob knows better than that) and heels. I am going to carefully do my hair, apply makeup, and wear light perfume. I will accessorize. I will be pulled together. I will try to convince my husband to wear a shirt and tie.

Why bother with this when the rest of the family will be casual? Maybe everyone will feel a little underdressed (or, like I would in their position, a little frumpy) in the presence of such a lovely couple, and next time they'll kick it up a notch too. And it might feel like Thanksgiving again. After all, it feels good to look good!