28 Spirit Week Ideas: Christmas Week, Classic Themes and Easy Costumes
28 spirit week ideas for school: Christmas and holiday themes, classic dress-up days, easy costumes from your closet and a student council planning checklist.
In this guide
The best spirit week ideas are easy to wear, cheap or free, and fun enough that people actually show up in costume. Below are 28 of them: holiday ideas for a December week, classic dress-up days, and last-minute outfits you can build from your own closet.
Planning one for student council? There’s a sample week and a planning checklist further down. Just want to know what to wear tomorrow? Skip to the closet costumes.
Christmas and holiday spirit week ideas
Late October is when student councils start planning December weeks. A winter week is easy to pull off because most people already own the stuff: sweaters, pajamas, red and green, a random Santa hat from a drawer.
- Ugly sweater day: the louder the better. Thrift stores are great for this, or add pom-poms and tinsel to a plain sweater.
- Holiday pajama day: matching sets, fuzzy socks, slippers. Zero effort, maximum participation.
- Elf day: green, red, striped tights, a pointy hat made from felt or paper.
- Candy cane day: red and white stripes, head to toe. Even one striped item counts.
- Winter wonderland day: white, silver and icy blue, plus a scarf or glitter.
- Cozy day: oversized hoodies, blankets as scarves, mugs of hot cocoa in the cafeteria if your school allows it.
- Holiday movie character day: Buddy the Elf, the Grinch, a snowman, Kevin from Home Alone. Or any character from a winter movie you love.
- Ribbon and bow day: wear a big bow in your hair, on a jacket or around your backpack, like a human gift.
Getting ready for December in general? Our Christmas nail ideas pair well with an ugly sweater.
Classic spirit week ideas for school
These are the dress-up days that show up at schools everywhere because they work. Mix and match five for a week, or use them as a menu for a vote.
- Twin day: pick a friend and dress identically. Matching groups of three or four count too.
- Class color day: each grade wears its own color. Easy way to build some friendly competition.
- Decades day: dress like a decade you didn’t live through. Think 70s flares, 80s neon and scrunchies, 90s overalls and butterfly clips.
- Superhero day: a cape, a T-shirt with a logo, or a made-up hero with a name you invented.
- Book character day: dress as a character from a book you’ve read. English teachers will love this one.
- Career day: dress as what you want to be someday: doctor, pilot, lawyer, vet, engineer.
- Sports jersey day: a jersey from any team, school or pro. Bonus points for wearing your school’s team colors.
- Crazy hair day: mismatched buns, braids with ribbons, hair chalk if it’s allowed at your school.
- Mismatch day: wear different shoes, clashing patterns, shirt inside out. Chaos is the point.
- Beach day: sunglasses, a Hawaiian-print shirt, flip-flops, a visor. Works best as a joke in the middle of winter.
- Tourist day: a fanny pack, a camera or a paper map, a visor and a sunburn drawn on with pink face paint if your school allows it.
- Hat day: beanie, baseball cap, cowboy hat, a mixing bowl. Check your school’s rule on hats first.
Easy spirit week costumes from your closet
Forgot it was a theme day? You can still show up. These come from clothes most people already have.
- Scientist: a white button-up as a lab coat, clear safety glasses if you have them, hair pulled back, a pen in your pocket.
- Detective: a long coat or blazer, a scarf, and a magnifying glass drawn on cardboard.
- Painter: an old white T-shirt with colorful splatters in washable marker and a headband.
- Pirate: a striped shirt, a bandana, a belt worn over a long shirt and a scarf as a sash.
- Chef: a white shirt, an apron if you have one, a folded paper hat and a wooden spoon.
- Cat: all black clothes, headband with paper ears, whiskers drawn in eyeliner if your school allows makeup.
- Pilot: a white button-up with a tie or scarf, sunglasses and a lanyard with a homemade badge.
- Lumberjack: a flannel shirt, jeans, boots and a beanie. Probably already your fall outfit.
Not sure what suits you? Take our style quiz and you’ll know which of these you’d wear anyway.
Spirit week ideas for student council
If you’re the one organizing, the dress-up days are the easy part. The details are what make a week run smoothly.
A sample holiday spirit week
| Day | Theme | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Cozy day | Everyone starts the week comfortable |
| Tuesday | Twin day | Gets friend groups involved |
| Wednesday | Candy cane day | One striped item is enough |
| Thursday | Holiday movie character day | Room to be creative |
| Friday | Ugly sweater day | Big finish, great photos |
A planning checklist
- Get approval first. Talk to your advisor or principal before announcing anything. Our guide on how to email a teacher helps with the ask.
- Check the dress code. Hats, face paint, props and masks may be restricted. Put the rules on the announcement so nobody gets sent home.
- Let students vote on the themes with a short poll. People show up for days they picked.
- Keep every day free. Never require anyone to buy something. Every theme should work with stuff from home or a thrift store.
- Add a goal. A canned food drive or toy collection during the week gives dressing up a purpose.
- Announce early. Posters, morning announcements and a post on the school account a week before. A last-minute email gets low turnout.
- Offer a no-costume option. Some people don’t like dressing up. A school color T-shirt can count as taking part.
- Take photos with permission, and don’t post anyone who doesn’t want to be on there.
Want something to do with your friends after the school day? Here are more things to do with friends.
