Welcome to my 2023 what to wear for the holidays blog post! I love the seasons of traditions and family time and feeling thankful for life. I usually mix up my outfits from cozy and casual to fancy and festive. Since it’s the time of giving I tend to not buy many new items for myself and stick with what is already in my closet. That being said, I did just buy a new cozy sweater dress, you’ll see it below, but that will be it for the rest of the year. Here are my outfit ideas for the holidays!

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Cozy

Cozy holiday outfits are for days when you are hosting at your own house, for holiday movie nights or for days when you don’t feel your best but you want to look a little put together. Sweater dresses are always a great choice and their style will take you from year to year. I normally wouldn’t say a sweater dress should be under the Cozy category but this year maxi and midi sweater dresses that are loose are trending. They are the absolute epitome of cozy!

I chose this one below, from Anthropologie (click here for link), because of the green color. It’s my favorite! When it came in and I tried it on I did not want to take it off; it’s so comfortable I could sleep in it and worth every penny it costs. You will see it again below in another category because it can be worn several ways.

Another great option for a cozy holiday outfit is to go with loose pants. My top and bottoms below are from Cider (click here for link) and I’ve worn this outfit to the movies and for a day at home.

Casual

Casual holiday outfits are for holiday meals and gatherings where the guests collectively decide to not dress up for the event. Love when that happens! Casual holiday styles are also great for doing any outdoor activities, like heading to the tree farm or out holiday shopping at outlets or other outdoor shopping areas (in CT we love walking around Mystic Village!).

This Amazon dress below (click here for link) is soft and flattering to many body types. It can be layered with fleece tights and tall boots so your legs stay warm. I play on also wearing it with my burgundy heels for a dressed up look for date nights.

And of course, cannot talk about casual holiday style without including some denim outfits. Jeans are always my go-to. Always. ;) Below I styled a simple outfit of a white blouse and skinny jeans with a holiday plaid hair bow and festive flats (both from J.Crew). I wore this for a mom-on-the-go day.

Dressy

Dressy holiday outfits are for days going out for holiday parties, seeing a show or date nights. Here again is my Anthro sweater dress with heels (and nylons for warmth).

Dressy holiday style for me means anything I have to wear with tights! The outfit below has been in rotation for the last couple of holiday seasons. It can also fit into my festively cute section below. The sweater is from ModCloth and the skirt is from Anthropologie, both long gone from their websites. I wore this outfit to a Christmas party.

The holiday outfit below is one I wore for a meeting; pop a blazer over it and you look festive for a business look.

A dressy holiday style can include faux leather! I love my two styles below, both worn with a striped turtleneck from Anthropologie that I’ve had for years. The maxi skirt (click here for link) has been in constant rotation for me this autumn; I sized down in it.

Formal

I haven’t attended too many formal holiday events but I still enjoy dressing up formally for parties, New Year’s Eve or for a quick trip out dancing in the snow, lol. The dress below is old from ModCloth (click here for similar one), but a velvet dress always looks formal.

A sequin dress (or even a sequin top or pants) elevates a look to the formal level the same way velvet does. I have a simple black sequin dress that surprisingly has gotten lots of use the last couple of years. The dress made for a great New Year’s Eve outfit.

Festively Cute

A festively cute holiday outfit for me looks like plaid leggings with a dress or tunic. It can also look like a cute holiday sweater (like the outfit above). These styles work well for occasions that involve kids, they love it, or for a cookie baking day, shopping day or relaxing day at home. Pop on a Santa hat and instantly cute!

Another great addition to your holiday wardrobe is tulle. Tulle makes your holiday style look festive and even formal depending on how you style it. I added a cashmere sweater to my tulle skirt below and shiny flats made it suitable for a work look, a party look or for me was just another day in December (a warmer day!). Haven’t been able to find a skirt similar to this ModCloth one below, one that at least doesn’t have a costume feel), but I’m in love with this new one from J.Crew (click here).

That wraps up my 2023 holiday style inspirations! Hope this blog post gave you some ideas for the season, cheers!