Our family does this too, but we don’t really dress up. We might wear fancy PJs 
I think the difference might be that our family has never taken family photos at the holidays.
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Sweaters and jeans typically
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We lived far from family so we hosted Thanksgiving every year for friends. Usually at least a dozen people there, a few families who were our guests every year for decades. I changed (from jeans/sweatshirt) into a nice sweater and black pants/leggings right before guests showed up.
I really don’t remember what anyone else wore! I think it was a mix of “nice casual”, dressy and very casual.
We have moved and this year it will just be us and our kids.
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When I was growing up, we wore our best clothes on holidays as we traveled to both grandparent’s homes (both less than ten miles from ours) on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter where both extended families gathered all day. Everyone dressed nicely. Once DH and I moved away early in our marriage, holidays were mostly just the two of us, and we’d wear nice season-appropriate tops with our jeans. We still favor our aging Christmas sweaters, but no matter the holiday, bottoms are almost always jeans. Because we’re usually cooking most holiday mornings, we wear our chef’s jackets until we’re about ready to sit down to eat, then don our “finery.”
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When I was a kid we always dressed up for the holidays and when our girls were young I dressed them up. Now everyone is casual and most people wear nice jeans to our holiday gatherings. Last year my company did a small Christmas party with formal attire. It was so much fun to wear a long dress with pretty shoes with all of the guys in nice suits and ties or tuxedos. Times have changed, but it is fun to look nice sometimes.
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We are in the ‘elastic waistline’ category for the big meal events 
Seriously…semi casual. Nice jeans and a buttoned shirt at least for the actual meal portion. Before hand…it’s anything goes.
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Same here.
I bust out my great-grandmother’s china and a fancy table cloth and wine glasses. But we still eat Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner in our PJs. 
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Love the chef’s jackets!
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We wear PJs as always. The table settings are set nicely. But I cook 9-course meal on the day, I like being comfortable. We rarely go anywhere on Christmas Day, if we do, then we dress up.
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“ I feel like I am not being me if I am not a little dressed up” - That’s fair. Just try not to be disappointed if others prefer to be more casual.
I will admit that it was great fun to recently attend a family wedding, including our kids, that was quite formal (black tie optional). Everybody dressed up, great photo ops. But I’m fine with the fact that holiday family gatherings are much more casual than when I was a kid. (LOL - In the early days, sis and I were required to wear dresses a all times… even when playing outdoors).
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We get dressed - dress, sweater, nice pants. Guys don’t usually wear a jacket, but a nice sweater and no jeans. We usually do this when we have a “formal” family meal, and that would include birthday, holiday, anniversary meals.
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We used to dress more formal but now we dress nice casual- no one is wearing a sweatshirt, sweats or old jeans. Some women will wear a casual dress or skirt but mostly it’s black pants and a cute sweater/blouse. Men wear button down and pants. With all the stretchy fabrics out there everyone is comfy but looks nice:) I’m wearing black Spanx pants and wine colored top with black dressy booties this year. I do all the cooking but I’m comfy and wear an apron.
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We definitely dress up, and I love it! Thanksgiving and Christmas are wonderful meals, tablecloths, candles, flower arrangements, china, crystal, etc. But also REALLY FUN games, family slideshow, plenty of wine and laughs 
. The young women (ages 15-late 20s) in particular definitely love the chance to wear their latest dresses and cute shoes. Probably the nephews/sons are less excited to wear a tie and sweater (I’d say we’ve gone downhill from jacket and tie to buttondowns, ties, and sweaters for the guys over the years). Everyone is still comfortable. I make sure that I have stylish shoes or boots with my dress or skirt or dressy pants, but I’m careful not to wear anything uncomfortable. But we have large gatherings—20-35 people per holiday, and there is a very festive feel. During covid, when it was just the 4 of us, I can’t remember if we did pjs or still dressed up, but I would have been fine with pjs as it was an unusual year and just our little group. We always take an annual photo of the group at the holidays, and everyone looks great. I guess it doesn’t need to be “fancy”, but I’d sure be shocked if someone showed up in a logo-ed sweatshirt! I guess it’s just our family tradition, and I’m grateful that both my family and my husband’s family grew up similarly that way, so it has never been questioned by anyone; I’m pretty sure we are all happy with it! I’m totally with you, Hoggirl!! But obviously I agree with all of the sentiments that the primary concern is that we are together and loving and connecting. We just prefer to do that while looking our best
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We insist upon clothes, but that’s about it for rules.
Most wear jeans. We generally pick clothes that are better than what we wear in the barn, but certainly not anything one would call dressed up. We often sleep in the buff, so none of “our” PJs are allowed.
I have absolutely 100% hated dressing up since my youth. My sister too. I didn’t even like playing “dress up.” Drove one of my grandmothers nuts as she wanted “typical” granddaughters and didn’t get them.
I don’t recall dressing up for holidays in my youth either. We dressed up for church, but that was about it.
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If we are hosting, it is usually cosy festive casual. Like a nice midi sweater dress and Uggs for me. No jeans for Mr. because the waistband does not stretch! Lol. He has a pair of khakis with a hidden stretch panel in the waistband… those are his pants of choice plus a quarter zip sweater with a long sleeve shirt.
If we are going out, it depends on the place and hosts.
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That’s us here too! We have the 10 AM town football game on Thanksgiving day and then we come home and start cooking and everyone is usually just in sweats and comfy clothes. For me, the holidays are all about relaxing and doing what you want and not having any stress.
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This thread brought back a funny memory. Christmas Day when the kids were home was very casual, and we had our nicer meal on Christmas Eve. I did have to insist my older son put on a shirt to wear with his pj bottoms during dinner.
Generally, if we are with my husband’s family we are very casual. My family used to have more formal meals when our kids were younger, but the last several years we’ve gotten fairly casual. Pants and a sweater would be perfectly appropriate, and nobody would blink if you had on “nice” jeans and a sweater.
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No formal dressing for us. And have not had formal pictures at the holidays ever. I wear jeans a lot but usually step it up some for holidays -nicer jeans(usually my black ones), or nice pants, nice shirt, etc. but that’s about it. No big dressing up for our family at holidays and that’s fine with me!
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My oldest (in the fleece) is always the most casual, but everyone else makes an effort to look nice while also being comfortable. Personally I do think if you’ve gotten out the good china and silverware you can make a little bit of an effort. (I also think that apple cider and water belong in a pitcher!)
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Hmm. Surely my family and H’s can’t be the only ones that use paper plates for big holiday meals when we have a crowd? If it’s just 4-6 we use regular plates, but more than that and paper it is. 
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