What to wear to a Christmas party depends first on the invitation: if it names a dress code, follow that code, and the decoder table below explains what each common one asks of women and men. With no code given, this guide’s default is dressy casual with one festive touch (a dress or dressy separates, or a blazer with trousers and an open-collar shirt), toned down a notch for a work party; save ugly sweaters and costumes for parties that ask for them. Of 102 public December 2026 holiday party listings that tell guests what to wear, 31 ask for a festive or holiday look, 26 for ugly or holiday sweaters and 23 for guests to dress to impress or dress up; only 5 ask for formal wear or black tie.
Christmas Day 2026 falls on Friday, December 25, according to the federal holiday schedule from the Office of Personnel Management. Below: a dress code decoder, what 102 public party listings ask for, Christmas party outfits by type of party, and what to skip.
Christmas party dress codes, decoded
Invitation wording is not standardized, so each phrase below is paired with a published definition, mostly from the Emily Post Institute’s attire guide for US terms, and Debrett’s, the British etiquette publisher, for British-rooted ones such as smart casual.
| Invitation says | What it asks for | Women | Men | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Festive attire, holiday attire | Cocktail-level dress with a seasonal touch | A cocktail dress or dressy separates in red, green, gold or silver | Blazer in any color (velvet or tartan suit the season) with slacks and a festive tie | Emily Post Institute; colors per Marie Claire, fabrics per Gentleman’s Gazette; other readings below |
| Cocktail attire, holiday cocktail, semi-formal | Dressier than office clothes, short of formal; lean dressier after 6 p.m. | A cocktail dress of any length short of the floor, a dressy jumpsuit or dressy separates; heels optional | Dark suit and tie; Debrett’s also accepts a velvet jacket | Emily Post (semi-formal); The Knot, Debrett’s and the AP (cocktail) |
| Black tie optional | Formal; a tuxedo is preferred, a dark suit is fine | Floor-length gown, dressy cocktail dress or dressy separates | Tuxedo, or a dark suit with a white shirt and conservative tie | Emily Post Institute |
| Black tie | Formal evening dress | A floor-length gown; a cocktail dress works only if it is very dressy and at least knee length | Black or midnight blue tuxedo, white formal shirt, black bow tie, cummerbund or vest, patent shoes | Emily Post Institute; AP rundown |
| Creative black tie, festive black tie | Black-tie formality with room for color, texture and fun accessories | Gown or dressy cocktail dress with unusual accessories; Debrett’s also allows evening trousers | Tuxedo with a bow tie and cummerbund in a color or pattern, a black shirt, or a velvet smoking jacket | Emily Post; Debrett’s; the AP (festive black tie) |
| Smart casual, dressy casual | Polished, but not business wear | A dress, or a skirt or tailored trousers with a dressy top; for an evening party, bolder jewelry and taller heels, and a jacket if wanted | A blazer or jacket over an open collar or a tie; chinos or tailored trousers | Debrett’s (smart casual); Emily Post (dressy casual) |
| Business casual | Everyday office wear, slightly relaxed | A dress, or a skirt, khakis or trousers with a blouse, knit top or sweater; skip spaghetti straps and low necklines | Blazer or sport coat, khakis or slacks, a dress shirt or polo, loafers; a tie is optional | Emily Post; check your company’s policy |
| Casual, come as you are | Comfortable but clean | Nice jeans or khakis, a plain top or casual blouse | Clean jeans with no holes or khakis, a sweater or casual button-down, loafers or sneakers | Emily Post (casual); Debrett’s reads “come as you are” as looser still, with even shorts and sports clothes welcome |
| Ugly sweater party | The sweater is the dress code | Your loudest Christmas sweater | A novelty sweater, over a dress shirt at a work party | Gentleman’s Gazette; The Modest Man (men); women’s cell by this guide |
| Themed (“denim and diamonds”, “Grinch or elf”) | The host’s theme | Go all in, or nod to it with accessories | Go all in, or nod to it with something like a glittering bow tie | Debrett’s |
| Dress to impress | Make an effort; do not underdress | Cocktail-level or party dress | Suit or blazer with dress trousers | Debrett’s (meaning); outfits by this guide |
Where the authorities part ways:
- Festive. To the Emily Post Institute and Gentleman’s Gazette, festive means cocktail-level dressing with something seasonal added. The Knot’s wedding dress code guide treats it as a modifier instead: in “festive cocktail” or “festive formal”, guests should pick “the most showstopping version” of the underlying code. Peggy Post told the Associated Press back in 2002 that “no one really knows” what festive attire means, and in 2025 Marie Claire editor in chief Nikki Ogunnaike called it the season’s broadest code. Read a bare “festive” as cocktail level, or ask the host.
- Black tie hemlines. Emily Post lists the floor-length gown first. The AP’s 2022 rundown, prepared with the Posts’ help, keeps gowns as the norm but makes room for an especially dressy cocktail dress of knee length or longer, and Debrett’s says that for black tie “knee length cocktail dresses are the most popular choice.”
- Cocktail or semi-formal. The Knot ranks cocktail attire a step above semi-formal; the AP’s rundown treats cocktail as one kind of semiformal. At a holiday party the difference rarely shows.
- Jeans. For smart casual, Debrett’s says “denim, even designer denim, is probably too casual.” Emily Post’s dressy casual list for women includes nice jeans with a dressy top.
What 102 public holiday party listings ask guests to wear
On November 3, 2026, this guide searched Eventbrite for “christmas party” and “holiday party” in 12 large US metro areas, from New York, Chicago and Atlanta to Houston, Denver and Seattle. It checked every listing dated December 1 to 30, 2026 on the first three pages of results for each search (two for San Francisco’s “holiday party” search, whose third page Eventbrite would not serve), and kept the Christmas and holiday parties (a few Hanukkah parties included) whose listing tells guests what to wear. Bar crawls, New Year’s Eve events, classes, tastings and game nights were left out, and each venue counts once. That left 102 listings, with at least five in every metro. These are public events, from nightlife parties to galas and club socials, so they show what hosts ask of the public, not what an office or family expects. Eventbrite orders its results by its own ranking, so this is a snapshot of what its search showed that day, not a random sample of US holiday parties.
| What the listing asks guests to wear | Listings (of 102) |
|---|---|
| A festive, holiday or sparkly look (“holiday chic”, “bring the bling”) | 31 |
| An ugly or holiday sweater | 26 |
| Dress to impress, or simply dress up | 23 |
| A color scheme (all white, all black, pink, gold, red and black) | 21 |
| Cocktail or semi-formal attire | 14 |
| A theme, such as costumes, characters, a decade, hockey jerseys or ski lodge style | 12 |
| Pajamas | 10 |
| Formal attire or black tie | 5 |
| Business attire, or business or dressed-up casual | 5 |
A listing can ask for more than one thing, so the counts add up to more than 102. Formal dress is among the rarest requests: 5 listings asked for formal attire or black tie, against 14 for cocktail or semi-formal. Of the 21 color schemes, 10 included black.
What to wear to an office Christmas party
A work party is still work. Etiquette expert Elaine Swann, founder of the Swann School of Protocol, told NPR in 2023 to check with the party committee and, for new hires, to ask colleagues who have been to earlier parties how people dressed. The Emily Post Institute suggests keeping the party look in line with your everyday work style and leaning elegant: an executive who wears a suit daily needs no more holiday spirit than a red tie. An Associated Press dress code rundown from 2022, prepared with the Post family’s help, files office holiday parties under semiformal. Employers may put the rules on paper: in a 2023 SHRM article, Philippe Weiss, who heads a workplace compliance and training firm, suggested a written memo before the party that restates the dress code and the harassment policy.
- Women: a dress, a skirt with a dressy top, or tailored trousers with a blouse or knit top. For dresses, Swann cautions against a plunging neckline or a hem that rides up when you lean down. Ogunnaike thinks the typical office holiday party is now low-key enough for jeans, dressed up on top with something like a tuxedo jacket and shirt, plus satin flats.
- Men: Gentleman’s Gazette sorts work parties by office. Conservative, white-collar: a dark suit in charcoal, navy or midnight blue with a muted tie such as dark burgundy. Less formal: a tweed or tartan sport coat with odd trousers and an Oxford shirt or dark turtleneck. Casual: a cable-knit sweater or warm-colored cardigan with dark denim or corduroys.
What to wear to a family Christmas party or house party
Home parties run more relaxed. Peggy Post’s rule of thumb in the 2002 AP story: a hotel ballroom points to a gown, but at a home party a short cocktail dress or a suit is usually enough. Gentleman’s Gazette suggests the less formal option at a private party, a turtleneck rather than a button-down, while treating the invitation and the host’s word as final. Debrett’s offers a hedge for any smart casual gathering: arrive a little overdressed and scale down on the spot, which for a man may mean losing the tie and for a woman trading the heels for flats.
For men, The Modest Man’s family party base is a button-down shirt and loafers with chinos or slacks, plus a third layer: a chore coat, a cardigan, or a crewneck in red or green. A sit-down Christmas dinner with relatives follows much the same smart casual logic as what to wear to Thanksgiving dinner, the season’s other big family meal.
What to wear to a party with friends or at a bar
“Dress to impress”, or a plain request to dress up, appears on 23 of the 102 public listings above; Debrett’s reads the phrase as the hosts asking for some effort, so underdressing is the mistake to avoid. Ogunnaike’s festive formula keeps a statement piece from looking too literal: a metallic brocade dress with an oversized work jacket and chunky boots. For men, The Modest Man’s fallback for a last-minute invitation is smart casual, a blazer over a dress shirt with chinos and loafers, plus one seasonal detail such as dark red chinos or red socks; if the room turns out casual, the blazer comes off.
What to wear to a formal Christmas party or holiday gala
Black tie means a tuxedo; black tie optional lets men wear a dark suit instead. For women, both codes take a long gown, and a dressy cocktail dress also qualifies. For a festive gala, Gentleman’s Gazette starts from creative black tie and adds a seasonal detail, such as a tartan bow tie in red and green, and for a dressier holiday cocktail party it suggests a burgundy velvet dinner jacket with traditional evening trousers. Lizzie Post told the AP that at a Christmas party with a festive black tie code she would be “searching for a bow tie and cummerbund that have Santa Claus or reindeer or something on them,” and cautioned that not every guest celebrates the same holiday. For the classic, period-correct tuxedo, which favors a single touch of color over a matching colored set, see the guide to Hollywood glamour menswear.
What to wear to an ugly Christmas sweater party
An ugly or holiday sweater is the second most common request in the public listings above (26 of 102), and some hosts turn it into a contest: a Washington tiki bar kicking off its holiday pop-up on December 2 promises “BIG PRIZES for the best of the worst!” Gentleman’s Gazette generally tells men to err toward formal at holiday parties, but drops that advice once a host has said the ugly sweater is the point: then play along. The Modest Man warns that skipping the sweater at a sweater party makes you the wet blanket; at a work sweater party, it suggests simply pulling a novelty sweater over a dress shirt.
Fabrics, colors and coats
- Fabrics: Ogunnaike associates festive dressing with velvet, satin and sequins. For men, Gentleman’s Gazette leans on tweed, flannel, corduroy and, for dressier parties, a velvet jacket.
- Colors: holiday colors appear on Emily Post’s festive list, and Ogunnaike names silver, blue, red, green and gold. Gentleman’s Gazette welcomes red and green but steers men away from bright, gaudy shades. Tres Dean, The Knot’s associate menswear editor, is quoted in its festive wedding guide steering men toward brighter greens over earthy ones: “emerald tones or deep green plaids.”
- Coats: for the most formal evenings, the AP guide suggests a dark, knee-length Chesterfield coat rather than a down parka. For everything else, wear layers you can shed in a warm room.
What not to wear to a Christmas party
- At work: very low necklines and very short hems (Swann), and novelty ties with giant Santa heads at a conservative office (Gentleman’s Gazette), though Swann told NPR a very festive tie can be fun.
- At a cocktail party: jeans, shorts, and flip-flops or other casual sandals, all of which The Knot rules out for cocktail-attire weddings, and floor-length gowns, which it saves for formal or black-tie weddings.
- At a smart casual party: beachwear, gym clothes, sneakers and sandals (Debrett’s).
- At a casual party, still: stains of any kind; the AP guide is doubtful about ripped jeans as well.
Frequently asked questions
Can you wear jeans to a Christmas party?
At a casual party, yes: Emily Post’s casual list includes nice jeans, and its dressy casual list for women pairs them with a dressy top. Smart casual is where guides split, since Debrett’s calls denim probably too casual for it. At cocktail level and above, skip them; The Knot rules jeans out at cocktail-attire weddings, and a cocktail party is no more relaxed. For a work party, follow what people wear at the office every day.
What does festive attire mean?
The Emily Post Institute defines it as cocktail-party dress with a seasonal twist, such as holiday colors for women or a festive tie for men. Other guides read the word differently, some more dressy and some less, so if the invitation says only “festive”, cocktail level is the safest reading.
What should you wear to a work Christmas party?
Dress like your office on a good day, plus one festive touch, such as a red tie, a tartan sport coat or a velvet jacket. Keep necklines and hemlines work-appropriate, and if the invitation is vague, follow the Emily Post Institute’s tip: “ask the organizer when you RSVP.”
What colors should you wear to a Christmas party?
No color is required. The Emily Post Institute’s festive list simply says to feature holiday colors; Marie Claire’s Nikki Ogunnaike names silver, blue, red, green and gold, and Gentleman’s Gazette suggests muted versions, like burgundy or forest green, over bright ones.
Can you wear black to a Christmas party?
Yes. The Emily Post Institute lists a little black dress for festive attire, and 10 of the 21 color schemes in the listings above included black, from all-black parties to red and black. For a festive code, add one seasonal piece, such as velvet, a metallic accessory or a red or green tie.
What should a man wear to a Christmas party?
Match the invitation: a tuxedo for black tie, a dark suit for cocktail, a blazer with slacks and a festive tie for festive, a blazer with chinos or tailored trousers for smart casual, a sweater or button-down with chinos for family. Then add one seasonal note: a burgundy or green tie, tartan, or velvet.
Is an ugly sweater okay at a work Christmas party?
Only when the party is billed as one; The Modest Man suggests wearing it over a dress shirt. Otherwise keep to a small nod: the Emily Post Institute’s example is a red tie for an executive who always wears a suit, not a holiday-lights necktie.
Sources
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Holidays (2026 Holiday Schedule), accessed November 3, 2026
- Emily Post Institute, Attire Guide: Dress Codes from Casual to White Tie, August 2, 2020
- Emily Post Institute, Business Casual Attire, May 4, 2021
- Emily Post Institute, How to Survive the Office Holiday Party, August 3, 2015
- Emily Post Institute, Download: 11 Tips for Surviving the Office Holiday Party, September 5, 2015
- Debrett’s, Deconstructing Dress Codes, December 6, 2023
- Debrett’s, Do Dress Codes Matter?, October 11, 2022
- Associated Press (Leanne Italie), Parties are back, but how to dress? A holiday guide, December 26, 2022
- Associated Press (Samantha Critchell), Guests encouraged to ask hosts about appropriate attire for party, Lawrence Journal-World, December 8, 2002
- NPR, How to survive your workplace holiday party, December 11, 2023
- SHRM, How to Survive Your Office Holiday Party, November 14, 2023
- Marie Claire (Nikki Ogunnaike), Self Checkout column on holiday dress codes, November 17, 2025
- The Knot, Wedding Dress Codes guide, accessed November 3, 2026
- The Knot, Wondering What Wedding Cocktail Attire Entails? Here’s a Full Breakdown, accessed November 3, 2026
- The Knot, What to Wear to a Festive Attire Wedding This Holiday Season, November 13, 2023
- Gentleman’s Gazette, Holiday Attire for Men: What It Means and How to Wear It, December 14, 2018
- The Modest Man, What To Wear to a Christmas Party for Men, December 6, 2024
- Eventbrite public event listings, 102 December 2026 holiday parties in 12 US metro areas, accessed November 3, 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau, metropolitan statistical area delineation file (July 2023) and Census Geocoder, accessed November 3, 2026
Lead photo: City of North Charleston employees in holiday sweaters for the city's Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, December 2016. Photo: Ryan Johnson, City of North Charleston, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).
