Everyone loves a good holiday cosplay and this post is all about that!
What a year we’ve had. Beginning in March, pretty much all the conventions have been cancelled and we don’t know when they will be back. Despite the lack of conventions, the cosplay spirit hasn’t slowed down for many. Cause we all know cosplay season is all-year round!
Are you looking to get ready for a holiday-themed con in the future such as Holiday Matsuri or Toronto Fan Days? But how do you go about customizing your costume so it looks more Christmas-like?
If you are stuck on ideas (like I was), then you’re come to the right place!
In this post, you will find 10 ways to spice up your cosplay for the holidays. You don’t have to do all of these, but implementing one or two of these ideas will get you in the festive mood and in the right place at these holiday conventions!
Here they are:
1. Ugly Christmas shirt or sweater as an easy holiday cosplay
Many dread getting a Christmas-themed shirt or sweater because it’s ugly as hell! But when it comes to cosplay, the ugly Christmas sweater works in your favor. For characters that wear normal clothes (e.g. Pokemon trainer, Persona), wearing a Christmas shirt or sweater looks really good as a cosplay. You can either wear it over the costume or in replacement. For instance, I wore an ugly Christmas t-shirt for my Akira Joker cosplay, instead of wearing his dancing star shirt. And I’d say it worked really well! So wearing an ugly Christmas top is an easy way to spice your cosplay to fit the holiday theme!
2. Christmas socks
One of the easiest ways to dress up for the holidays! Instead of wearing your regular socks or stockings, wear Christmas-coloured or Christmas-themed socks. Simple as that! As long as they’re red or green, you can definitely pull it off. The nice thing about Christmas socks is they pair well with almost every cosplay.
3. Adding (or wearing) Christmas ornaments on your holiday cosplay
Now let’s say you’re not cosplaying a normie-looking character and you’re going for someone with more armor and clothing. No problem. That’s what Christmas ornaments are for! You can add some Christmas ornaments such as bells, pinecones and berries to your costume. Either you put them on your costume or wear them as a bracelet or necklace. You can find these ornaments for cheap in places such as Wal-Mart or at a dollar store.
4. LED lights
You know those Christmas lights you put on your tree? You can use those same lights for your cosplay! We all love our LED lights on our cosplay and there are tons of tutorials that’ll help you out with that. But you don’t need to be an expert when it comes to making your cosplay for the holidays. You can just head to a dollar store and pick up some cheap LED lights to wear on your cosplay. You can wear the LED lights as a necklace or wrap it around your cosplays. Either way, it’ll definitely light up your cosplay for the holidays!
5. Santa Claus apparel (e.g. Santa hat, dress, cape)
Most of us know that Santa Claus wears a big fluffy red suit with a red hat. If you want to make your cosplay more Christmas-themed, just wear what Santa Claus wears! It can be as simple as wearing a Santa hat, or going all out and wearing his entire suit. It all depends on your cosplay. For example, if you’re doing a Jinx cosplay (from League of Legends), wearing a Santa hat would be enough. But I’ve seen a Solid Snake cosplayer wear a Santa suit instead of the camouflage gear and it turned out extremely well! You can find Santa hats anywhere for cheap. But if you wanted the whole outfit, you can make it yourself or hit up a regular costume store.
6. Reindeer antlers
Another easy but effective way to Christmas up your cosplay is to simply wear reindeer antlers. They go well with pretty much any costume, even if you’re not cosplaying an animal. They will make your character look super cute!
7. Bow wrap
Just because a Christmas bow is used for present, doesn’t mean you can’t use one on your cosplay! In fact, a nice bow looks really cute on a costume. So if you’re wearing a costume that’s similar to a dress, then a bow would look perfect in the centre of your outfit. You can also wear a bow similar to a tie, or on top of your head. Because you know, you’re a gift to everybody!
8. Use gift wrapping on your holiday cosplay
If you’re bringing a large cosplay prop to the convention, then what you can do is use gift wrapping. So instead of wrapping your presents, wrap your cosplay weapons! Imagine how cool a hammer would look under Christmas wrapping! This is definitely an easy way to spice your cosplay for the holidays.
9. Candy canes!
Who doesn’t love candy canes?! Not only are they tasty but they also complement any cosplay well for the holidays. Either you can decorate your cosplay with candy canes all over. Or you can just hold a big candy cane as a cosplay prop. It doesn’t really who you’re cosplaying, because IMO a candy cane can work well with any character.
10. Cosplay a character that is associated with winter
If you can’t be bothered decorating of your cosplays for the holidays, you can always cosplay a character that’s all about winter anyway. Examples include Frostfire Annie from League of Legends, Elsa or Anna from Frozen and Jack Frost. Maybe Daenerys from Game of Thrones as well.
Summary
Here are the 10 methods to spice up your holiday cosplay:
- Ugly Christmas shirt or sweater as an easy holiday cosplay
- Christmas socks
- Adding (or wearing) Christmas ornaments on your holiday cosplay
- LED lights
- Santa Claus apparel (e.g. Santa hat, dress, cape)
- Reindeer antlers
- Bow wrap
- Use gift wrapping on your holiday cosplay
- Candy canes!
- Cosplay a character that is associated with winter
There you have it; 10 easy ways to tune up your cosplay just in time for the holidays! These little things can make a difference when attending a con. If you have any other ideas or suggestions, leave them in the comments below.
P.S. Money saving tip: If you plan on going to a holiday convention in the future (i.e. when things are back to normal), be sure to wait until after December 25th. After this date passes, you can get all these items on clearance for dirt cheap! Here’s a quick tip to help you save some money, because it’s all about saving money as a cosplayer. 🙂
P.S.S. If you’re looking for a way to make some extra cash for the holidays, check out this post on how to do so! My response is also in that article. I’m sure you’ll find it useful. 🙂
My name is Roger Senpai. I’m a cosplayer that’s been in the community for well over a decade now. I’ve traveled all over the world to Anime and Comic conventions and hosted my own cosplay events. Now I’m writing articles for new and experienced cosplayers like you to help inspire, save you money and improve your cosplays!
