Father Christmas fancy dress costumes are definitely the number one outfit worn during the holiday season.
Father Christmas outfits are nearly always based around a red jacket and a pair of red trousers with a white marabou trim on the cuffs and trouser bottoms.
However, there are a number of variations on this theme within the genre.
Such is the demand for different types of Father Christmas fancy dress costumes that there are even websites online that specialise in Father Christmas outfits, helping you decide on which type of costume is right for you.
Below I take a look at three different types of Father Christmas fancy dress costumes, to try and give some inspiration on what to wear to the Christmas party this year.
Suggestion One: Luxury Outfits By luxury Father Christmas costumes, I mean those Santa suits that are a little bit special, the kind of outfit that you might see worn in a Santa's grotto or by a charity collector on the high street.
These luxury Santa outfits are usually made from a heavy, high quality velour type of material and they are going to be good for many Christmases and so may quite possibly become a type of family heirloom.
Of course, such a high quality type of outfit comes at a price and so this may not be the Santa outfit for everyone.
Suggestion Two: Ladies Outfits Of course, most Santa outfits are naturally aimed at men, but that does not mean that the ladies amongst you cannot join in the festive fun.
There are also a range of Mother Christmas costumes to choose from and I am not talking about the sexy Miss Santa type of outfit, but instead the more traditional type of Mrs Claus costume.
These are often based around a simple Victorian style outfit, consisting of a red and white robe and a mop hat.
Suggestion Three: Novelty Outfits A third type of outfit, which can often be unisex, is the novelty Santa costume.
There are many different versions of the novelty Santa suit, but two of the most popular are the high-end mascot type outfit and the more reasonably priced inflatable Santa suit.
The Santa Claus mascot is based around a deluxe plush Santa jumpsuit with an oversized mascot Santa head, while the inflatable Santa costume is a weird and wonderful outfit that has both inflatable legs and body.
Both are great original costumes to wear to the Christmas party, but ultimately your budget will play a large part in deciding which type of outfit to go for.