The most wonderful time of the year is almost here: Winter Break.

In just a few short weeks, we will all get a much-needed reprieve from trekking to classes in semi-arctic weather and cramming for finals, and I for one could not be more elated. Another fabulous — and perhaps less-acknowledged perk of Winter Break — is that if you are so inclined, you never actually have to put on “real” clothes.

Now I am not advocating that you become a nudist during the break. I would not recommend such a lifestyle if you live in Syracuse or anywhere else in the Northeast for that matter, sheerly because freezing temperatures and bare skin don’t mix. After all, you don’t want to get frostbite on your naughty bits.

What I am saying is that no matter how fashion forward you are, or aspire to be, there is nothing quite as nice as spending several days in your pajamas. Be they silk, flannel or footy, pajamas are extremely versatile loungewear. And if styled correctly they can even be worn during impending holiday get-togethers and gatherings.

I experienced this sleepwear revelation firsthand two years ago. It was the night before Christmas, and all through my house, not a party dress was clean, not even a blouse. I had gotten wrapped up in Christmas shopping in the weeks leading up to the holiday, and the matter of what I would wear to my family’s annual Christmas party had completely slipped my mind (and so had the dry cleaning).

In a last-ditch effort to be festive and appear fully clothed at the party, I wore a long-sleeved, button down, green flannel pajama top emblazoned with tiny Christmas trees. I wore a red tank top underneath the button down and paired it with a black pencil skirt, black opaque tights and black heels. I also happen to own an inordinate amount of Christmas-themed jewelry — I’m talking light up Rudolph earrings and mounds of red and green beads — so I accessorized with those.

Mind you, the green of the flannel top was not garish and the red of the tank was the same hue of the ornaments on the tiny Christmas trees, so the overall appearance of the outfit was not necessarily tacky, but certainly eccentric.

Color coordination is key when trying to pass pajamas off as formalwear. Also, at the risk of sounding like a hipster, a certain level of ironic nonchalance is useful when sporting sleepwear at soirees and can give you the necessary confidence to wear your jammies proudly.

In a sense, holiday pajamas are the cousins of the ugly Christmas sweater. For years, both articles of clothing have been deemed to be hideous, even un-wearable. But people now throw parties centered solely around ugly holiday sweaters. It is only a matter of time before holiday pajama parties gain popularity as well. I for one have made it a personal tradition to wear at least one pajama item to every holiday party I attend, simply for fun, and to prove that pajamas can be stylish too.

Of course some of you will never be comfortable wearing pajamas anywhere but to bed, which is OK. Instead, simply embrace the colors of the season in your holiday attire. Deep crimson, lush spruce and metallic colors like gold, silver and bronze are all great options. And you could always pay homage to the icy weather by wearing whites, creams and frosty blues.

Jenna Belmonte is a magazine, newspaper and online journalism graduate student. Her fashion column appears every Monday in Pulp. She can be reached at jmbelmon@syr.edu.

Published on December 2, 2013 at 12:06 am