What are you wearing?

"What are you wearing?"

Taken without context that question can go several ways.  There is the creepy late night phone call version of the question made famous recently by Jake from State Farm.  Then there is the Project Runway, ‘OMG what are you wearing, you are a hot tranny mess’ version of the question.  Neither of those is a great way to begin a Christmas blog.

But then there is the version that genuinely asks “What are you going to wear to the party?  What qualifies as Festive Attire?”  What is festive for you?  Some people find OU  Sooner red to be festive attire.  My nieces Rachel & Julia Beth have shown up in everything from jeans to pretty pretty party dresses.  When my niece Elisa was little, I decided what was festive and I was allowed to choose all manner of pretty holiday party dresses.  When she was 12 or 13 and told me no more, I was DEVASTATED.  Don’t mock me, it was a hard time. 

Now that Matthew is the same age I realize how lucky I was she humored me that long.  Tonight Matthew and I have had several long, unresolved conversations about what he will wear tomorrow.  Last year he had a really great outfit that he chose with the red skinny jeans and white shirt.  This year he can’t be bothered to even talk about it.  He keeps saying he will just wear the shirt from thanksgiving.  Which is fine, really, except for one small thing. . . I can’t find the stupid shirt. Anywhere.  I am not unconvinced that he has hidden it.

He has a cute red sweater that was Paul’s, but he just rolls his eyes.  He has a drawer of hand me down shirts from Baby Scott, but he dismisses those saying they don’t fit, (untrue).  He has a green corduroy shirt that Is very Christmassy, but I had to wrestle him into it the last time he wore it.  I even offered his hand me down Hawaiian shirt, but that got another no.

When I asked him what he plans to do if the thanksgiving shirt can’t be found, he said he’s just wear regular clothes.  Which again, I don’t really hate, except that his ‘regular clothes’ are long sleeve shirts that have either ‘property of ATB established 1987’ on the front, or the Blend lotion logo.  I appreciate his loyalty to At The Beach, but is it too much to ask that one night, the night of the party, he not wear the ATB brand?

Paul told me not to worry, because he is going to get dressed up for sure.  He has friends from school coming and he wants to look nice.  I asked what he was going to wear.  He has chosen one of his Hawaiian shirts and cargo pants. With his newly shaved head. 

I remember when my boys were small, and cute and I could dress them like Christmas elves if I wanted to.  It wasn’t that long ago was it?

Full disclaimer I haven’t made a decision about what I am going to wear yet either.  If things continue to go the way they are, I will wear those wide red santa style suspenders.