You can create a holiday to remember by having the entire family dress up in Christmas tree costumes.
Uses for Tree Costumes
Forget about donning the same ol' boring Santa suit this holiday season! Instead, dress up like a festive Christmas tree to make a really grand entrance at your holiday party. Most people reserve Christmas tree getups for holiday pageants, plays and other theatrical productions, but there are a host of other ways you can put evergreen costumes to good use. A few examples include:
- Funny photos: Sport a Tannenbaum costume to spice up ordinary Christmas greeting card photos. Have the entire clan dress as decorated trees or have one member of the family don a Christmas tree getup and have the rest of the group dress up as holiday presents. The group shot can be featured on a card with the caption: "Have a tree-mendous holiday season!"
- Party stopper: Ditch the Santa suit for this year's Christmas party and have someone dress up as a decked out fir tree instead. Most costumes that look like Christmas trees feature arm holes, so the wearer is able to use his limbs to hand out gifts to good little boys and girls. Who wants another photo of a child sitting on Santa's lap when they can snap a shot of their kid being carried by a gigantic Christmas tree?
- Talking tree: Many malls and major department stores are forgoing the tradition of having kids share their Christmas wishes with Santa and instead are featuring talking Christmas trees. The non-denominational holiday icon is a hit with kids of all ages and ethnicities. Use your tree costume as a way to get the conversation going with unsuspecting guests at holiday office parties.
Where to Buy Christmas Tree Costumes
Since many seasonal plays and theater events call for Christmas tree costumes, you can typically find costumes in stock at discount retailers and specialty costume shops starting in September. However, your best bet is to shop online. Internet-based retailers offer the widest selection of Christmas tree outfits. Reputable sources include:
Types
Christmas tree getups come in a variety of sizes, from infants to adults, though most are designed to fit men and women up to size extra-large, which is roughly big enough to accommodate a 200-pound individual. Most of the tree costumes are one piece; however, some come with plush shoes in the shape of Christmas presents. Others feature small decorations and a pointed hat that mimics the top of a tree. The most elaborate versions are green foam jumpsuits that cover the person's entire body. The fancy tree costumes are embellished with a gold star, red ornaments and silver garland, as well as small gifts that are attached to the bottom of the jumpsuit.
Make Your Own Tree Costumes
If you don't want to dig deep to purchase a ready-made evergreen costume, you could opt to make your own at home. There are a number of ways you can accomplish this, including the easiest, which is to cut out a tree shape from a large piece of cardboard and decorate it with paint, real Christmas ornaments and tinsel. All you need to do is attach elastic bands on the arms and strap the costume to your body, so you resemble a Christmas tree. Just remember to wear a green shirt or sweatshirt and pants, so that you blend into the painted costume.
Another option is to purchase a pattern for a Christmas tree getup or freehand your design. Measure the wearer from the top of his head to his knees and buy a length of green felt twice that measurement. You can add boning or wire to stiffen the branches of the tree costume and add lightweight wrapped gifts to the bottom. Next, attach sturdy ornaments or glittery pompoms, tinsel and silver Mylar icicles to the base of the costume to make it look as festive as possible.
Finally, you could go the easy route and simply purchase a hat in the shape of a Christmas tree. The hats are readily available at costume shops during the month of December. Some even light up and play Christmas music. Pair the hat with a green outfit and you are ready to make the season merry and bright.
