Should Dogs Dress Up for the Holidays? Boo’s Year, Holiday by Holiday
Boo dressed up for the holidays. Costumes for holidays and events were part of his wardrobe, right alongside the orange t-shirts and the tiny hoodies, and the photo archive shows how he did it: a Santa bib with two jingle bells at Christmas, and at Thanksgiving, nothing at all, just a nap on a cushion. Should dogs dress up for the holidays? The archive’s answer is a cheerful yes, as long as the outfit is comfortable enough to nap in.
This page is the front door to the holiday half of Boo’s Closet. Each holiday has its own page, built the same way: the outfit a dog gets to enjoy for the whole season first, the one-photo props last, and in between, the picks we think he would have loved. The pages not written yet are marked as coming, so you can see the whole year taking shape.
So, should you dress your dog up for the holidays?
Yes. Boo did it for years, and the dogs that enjoy it are the ones whose outfit fits, leaves the face, ears, legs, and tail free, and comes off while the dog is still having fun. Start with something soft and simple, keep the first sessions short, and your dog gets to be part of the holiday too. Whether dogs like clothes at all has its own page, with the step-by-step way to get a dog used to them.
The holiday closet, in calendar order
St. Patrick's DaycomingGreen is a bandana holiday: a shamrock bandana and a small bow tie, on in ten seconds, nothing to size.
EastercomingBunny ears for one great photo, and the pastel bandana that lasts the whole brunch.
PridecomingA rainbow bandana or tee, plus how to keep a small dog happy in a parade crowd on a warm day.
Fourth of JulycomingThe star bandana for the cookout, and a quiet plan for the fireworks so the dog enjoys the day as much as you do.
New Year's EvecomingA bow tie, a party hat for exactly one photo, and a calm plan for the midnight noise.How every holiday page picks its outfits
Comfort first, then the photo. Boo’s Santa bib is the model: nothing over the head, nothing on the legs, the whole thing on and off in one motion, and it still reads as Christmas from across the room. Each page starts with the piece that doubles as real holiday clothes for a small dog, a heart sweater in February or a knit in November, because those get worn for weeks and earn their place. The headbands, antlers, and kissing booths come last, with an honest line about how long the photo window really is.
Two things live elsewhere on purpose. How to get a dog used to wearing anything, and how to tell when a dog is happy in a costume and when it has had enough, are on the clothes page. Sizing, which is a tape measure and the brand’s chart, is on the winter clothes page. The holiday pages link to both rather than repeating them. One small tip that belongs on every page: the ID tag stays on under the costume, and the costume comes off before the dog plays with other dogs.
What Boo would have loved
Every pick on these pages passes the same test: would Boo have loved it? He had a well-documented thing for orange t-shirts, looked his best in a tiny hoodie, and dressed for every holiday that would have him, so the dog holiday outfits we pick today are chosen for any small dog that likes a party, each with a real opinion attached. They are today’s picks, chosen the way we think he would have chosen them, not his own wardrobe; each page says so near its list. His own holiday looks live on in the photo gallery, and the seasonal half of his closet, winter through fall, has its own hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it okay to dress up a dog for the holidays?
Yes, when the outfit fits, leaves the face, ears, legs, and tail free, and the dog is back to normal within a couple of minutes of putting it on. If a dog would rather not, a bandana gets it into the holiday photo with nothing to put on but a knot.
How long should a dog wear a holiday costume?
About as long as the photo for props like antlers, headbands, and hats. A sweater or bandana the dog forgets it is wearing can stay on for the whole party, with someone keeping an eye on it.
Which holidays do people dress their dogs up for?
Halloween most of all, then Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day. Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July, Pride, and New Year’s Eve are smaller. Boo’s Closet is adding a page for each one, and every page puts comfort first.