Home for the Holidays at Mystic Aquarium

Home for the Holidays at Mystic Aquarium

Danielle, Sarah, Jax, Margot, and Colleen

In December of 2024, I participated in two dress up activities that other people planned. The first one was a meeting that Jax planned at Mystic Aquarium (in Mystic, CT) during their "Home for the Holidays" holiday lights extravaganza. The event features holiday-themed lights, live animals, multiple photo opportunities and special guests select evenings between Thanksgiving through New Years.  

I knew it was going to be cold outside, but I had somehow forgotten in the (more than two decades since I visited this particular aquarium) that a good portion of it is all outside. I would say most of the lighted walkways and multiple photo opportunities were located outside between the cafe and the inside gallery. In fact, even the entrance dome is technically outside, as are the habitats with the beluga whales and the seals. 

Jax told us to dress winter holiday theme and or an aquatic theme for the meeting. I went with Classic EGL Christmas. To stay warm, I paired a wool lined red and green tartan skirt from Miss Point, with the fleece lined Time Memory ~ Elegant Lolita Slim Fit Mutton Sleeve Blouse, which I then topped with the Ode to Joy~ Winter Velvet Vest  in blackish green (also from Miss Point). I wore Christmas themed tights, but you can hardly see the pattern because my skirt is so long. I was originally going to wear gold tea party shoes, but the temperature was far too cold for that so I wore thick wool boot socks and teal dyed thinsulate lined leather boots. I also made sure to sew the rogue gold button back on my super old bright red wool coat I rescued from Burlington Coat Factory about 16 years ago. The Elegant Striped Top Hat (also from Miss Point) kept my head surprisingly warm in 28 degrees Fahrenheit weather. For my bag, I brought my Christmas bear bag with me. It doesn't quite fit the rest of the Classic elements in my outfit, but I had talked to Sarah before the meeting, and we both brought stuffed animal bags decked out for the holiday in solidarity. 

Sarah continued the tartan with their babydoll tartan dress from the Japanese brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This kind of dress is what I would consider to be a highly iconic old school style. Old school style is characterized by an emphasis on construction, high quality materials, and patterns made with lace and ribbon design. Sarah paired the dress with a short black coat, white under the knee socks, and black platform mary janes. They also have a white heart shaped bag from Baby the Stars Shine Bright and are wearing fluffy white ear muffs that seem to be connecting a white and red rectangle headdress. Everything is carefully matched and balanced between color and styling. 

Jax made their own dress from a pattern they had drafted from scratch. They specifically chose a Grinch themed fabric because they knew the guest of the evening we planned to attend was the "Holiday Grouch". I love the different lace that they used in their dress from the thinner lace at the bodice and middle of the skirt to the "falling star" lace at the hem of the skirt. They added a wine red and white fur cape and matched this expertly with white tights and wine red shoes. 

While you could say that Jax, Sarah, and I each exemplified the Christmas holiday in some capacity with our chosen colors of the evening, Margot and Colleen went for the more muted colors I would associate with winter in general. I really like the shiny star over blouse Margot added to her outfit. It reminded me of the twinkling lights we were observing and the magic of the holiday season.  Colleen managed not only to wear white and blue that remind me of fresh winter snow and the sky during a 4:00 pm sunset, but also her dress and matching head bow are aquatic themed! 

Photo that Jax took of the twinkling lights overlooking the water

Sea Captain Pahl and Danielle in front of the grand Christmas tree. Photo credit to Sarah

How could I forget my Sea Captain of the evening? Pahl tried to dress warmly with a wool coat over his waist coat and blouse and black denim. He made sure to wear a thick cravat, leather gloves, and a wool sea captains hat. He even kept himself a little scruffy in his facial hair just for the look! Unfortunately decisions had to be made between looking cool and feeling too cold, so right up here in the entrance is the last time you get to see his full regalia before he had to close his coat up to stay warm. 

Eel from the Inside Gallery

Peace Walk photo. I think Jax took this. I got it on video.

Overall, I would say it is a very unique family friendly event. It is nice to go on the outside walk and observe the lights and interact with the outside animals a little bit as well as warming up in the inside gallery. If it's your first visit to the aquarium ever, I probably wouldn't recommend it, as you don't actually get to see all of the animals and to be honest, it's a little disorienting going at night in the cold than during the day if you are not familiar with the place (like I apparently wasn't). Luckily Jax and Margot used to volunteer there in the past, and I learned so many fun facts about the animals from them as well as following their lead through the outside and inside environments. If you are interested in attending, and want to save on ticket prices, look during the end of October for discount tickets.