Clothes for the Christmas lunch

Short answer: A Christmas party lasts a long time, the room gets warm, and the food does its part. Choose layers you can adjust, an inner layer that lasts a long evening, and something warm for the trip home.

The room gets warm after an hour

Lots of people, candles and hot food raise the temperature quickly, and after an hour the room feels very different from when you arrived. A thin inner layer that moves moisture away from the skin helps most, because it works all evening, see men's bamboo undershirts.

Something that gives after the meal

A Christmas party is not the place for tight waistbands. There are many courses, and you sit at the table for hours. Choose underwear that sits softly and gives when you lean back after the third course, see bamboo boxers. You do not notice it early on, but you do later.

A layer for the trip home

The evening ends out in the cold, often late and often with a wait for a bus or train. A warm layer in the cloakroom makes all the difference when you go from a warm room into frost. Choose something you can pull over your shirt easily, see men's bamboo sweatshirt.

Smart but not stiff

Many Christmas parties have a certain style, but they also get more relaxed as the evening goes on. Choose clothes that look smart but let you move, both at the table and if there is dancing later. A shirt or a nice jumper over a soft inner layer is a safe choice in most places.

Skip the thick wool layer indoors

It is tempting to wear the thick Christmas jumper, but in a crowded room it quickly becomes too much. If you wear it, make sure there is a thin layer underneath, so you can take it off without sitting in a thin shirt. Otherwise you end up choosing between sweating and feeling cold.

Stains come with the territory

Gravy, red cabbage and wine find their way onto clothing over a long evening. Choose colours that do not reveal every stain, and avoid pure white if you can. Rinse a stain with cold water as soon as possible, and wash the clothes the next day before it sets.

Feet and shoes

New, stiff shoes are not the best choice for an evening that lasts six hours. Choose shoes you have worn before, and socks that do not slip. If there is dancing, you want something that fits well rather than something that only looks good. Your feet often decide when you go home.

The day after

Hang your clothes up to air as soon as you get home, even if it is late. The smell of food and candles settles in the fabric and gets harder to remove the longer it lies in a pile. Wash the inner layer at a low temperature with a mild detergent so it keeps its shape.

Frequently asked questions

What should you wear to a Christmas party

Layers you can take off, a soft inner layer and something warm for the trip home. That way you can handle both a warm room and a cold wait at the bus stop.

Why do you get so warm

Because many people in a closed room, together with hot food and candles, raise the temperature noticeably. The longer the evening lasts, the warmer the room becomes.

What about clothes that feel tight

Avoid them. A long evening at the table is easier in something that gives. That goes for trousers, belt and underwear alike, since you sit in them for hours.