There are two types of people in this world as far as I can tell: People who like to dress in holiday colors, and people who don’t.
The holiday dressers wear red on Valentine’s Day, green on St. Patrick’s Day, Red/White/Blue on Independence Day, and red/green on Christmas. Those who are intense about it might even go brown/orange before Thanksgiving and grow an Abe Lincoln beard on Presiden’t Day. If you are not one of these folks, there’s a good chance you probably work with at least one of them.
As you might have guessed, I am not a holiday dresser, and I really question anyone who is. I have a bit more leniency with the ladies, as they seem to always be looking for something to spruce up their “outifits” (as they like to call them). Many ladies use clothes to draw attention to themselves – some are more effective than others – and I’m ok with that. Women whose clothes make them look like they are trying to look good come across as good dressers. And I think most women would be cool with being known for that.
But men, if you were rifling around in your closet this morning and thought, “ooh, today’s St. Patrick’s Day, I might as well wear the green shirt”, you might need to have your man card revoked. By making that decision, you are drawing attention to what you are wearing, and that’s not really something that men do. Do we like to look good? Of course. But we do that in subtle ways. We find clothes that fit us well and help us look good in a “he looks alright without trying too hard” kind of way. Clothes that grab your attention are never a good thing, whether it’s because they look awful or because they happen to correspond to the holiday on the calendar. I’d much rather be known for my character, wit, or big nose than for what I’m wearing…but maybe that’s just me.
If you absolutely MUST wear some green on St. Patrick’s day, then throw on some green socks or underwear. But that Kermit green polo? Next time leave it in the closet.
Also…My friend Jason, who is writing The pocket Guide to Saints, gave a little background on St. Patrick on his blog today.