Gone are the days when the holidays were a blur of company parties and crowding through airport lines with maskless strangers. But as the festive season approaches, we’re holding onto the best parts of it — namely, the chance to dress up and celebrate all that we’ve learned and accomplished this year.

With that in mind, we’ve tapped three of our stylish Vox Media colleagues to look back on what they’re most proud of this year and share the J.Crew outfits they’re wearing to raise a toast to themselves. Even with plans for safe gatherings with family and friends on the table again, comfort is still key to the equation. Think: feather-soft sweaters, winter whites, and jewelry with just enough glitz — the kind of pieces you can wear to a party and not want to take off when you’re back home snuggling on the couch.

Read on to see how they styled the looks and for all the wins — big and small — they’re celebrating this season.

Betsie Wilson, Senior Manager, Paid Social

What I’m most looking forward to celebrating this year:

Every year, but especially this year, I’m really grateful for the friendships I’ve been able to cultivate and maintain. I’ve tried to make an extra effort to stay in touch with friends near and far, whether it’s grabbing dinners under heat lamps in the frigid New York winter or leaving long voice notes to my friends and family abroad or even making more of an effort to get to know coworkers (turned friends) over Slack and Zoom! Those relationships have been the most rewarding part of an otherwise tough year.

The most valuable lesson I learned in 2021:

This may sound obvious, but after more than a year of spending more time in my apartment than I’ve ever spent inside anywhere before, I think I’ve truly learned how nice, important, and refreshing it can be to go outside. Life happens when you go outside. Even if it’s just a short walk to my corner bodega, a breath of fresh air always makes my day slightly more interesting.

What I’m most proud of this year:

I’ve gotten notably better at tennis in 2021, given that it’s been such a perfect sport to play outdoors. I’m happy it’s something I’ve been able to prioritize over these past few months.

How I’m celebrating this season:

I’m really excited to use the holiday season this year as an excuse to dress up, even if it’s just in front of a small group of friends or family. I’ve spent too many days holed up in the same T-shirts and sweatpants this year not to take advantage of the opportunity to feel excited about dressing up again.

Where I’ll be wearing my J.Crew look:

I LOVE this J.Crew sweater and will definitely be wearing it to Thanksgiving dinner. I think a loose sweater is the ideal way to dress for an occasion that will likely involve eating anywhere from one to three whole sticks of butter. Aside from the comfort factor, I really love the wide sleeves and how it falls on my body. These pants are also so versatile and comfortable. I enjoy mixing more structured and traditionally masculine pieces with those that are more loose and playful, so I’m thinking these pants may make an entrance alongside a sparkly top as my New Year’s Eve outfit.

Jillian Karande, Brand Strategist

What I’m most looking forward to celebrating this year:

I play in a band, Razor Braids, and we’ve spent the last year and a half working on a full-length album that’s coming out at the end of 2021. I’m really excited to celebrate getting back to live shows and putting more music out into the world. I’m also so proud of starting my new job at Vox in August! I’m on the brand strategy team, specifically focused on podcasts, so I work on tying together narratives across Vox Media Podcast Network. It’s been exciting and challenging taking the leap and jumping into something new.

The most important lesson I learned in 2021:

How to be gentle with myself. After a year spent with a lot of alone time it’s been difficult to transition into being social again and I’ve put in a lot of work into be kind and patient with myself. Another, sillier lesson I learned is that it’s okay if I still am not quite ready to get back to wearing jeans. I used to be a big denim-on-denim girl and I have so many pairs of jeans that have been gathering dust in my closet. And you know what? That’s okay. I’m just leaning into what feels comfortable and good.

My holiday celebrations look like:

I have a pretty big family and I’m very lucky that a lot of them are in the New York area. Thanksgiving is usually the holiday where we all come together, so it really felt like a bummer to not be able to see everyone during that time last year. My mom always makes us this amazing spiced butternut squash soup, and my sister is great at cooking all the sides. This year, if we’re safely able to celebrate together, I’m definitely going to spend the holiday season with my siblings and cousins in plenty of cozy clothes making some of my family’s traditional Marathi recipes, listening to music together, and watching old movies. A lot of couch time with family members is what the holidays always feel like to me.

Where I’m wearing my J.Crew outfit:

Even when I’m celebrating, I still want to feel comfortable. This cashmere set is really cute — it feels like an elevated version of the matching sweatsuit that I and everyone else bought at the beginning of the pandemic. It’s a fun nod to that at-home wear, but something a little bit more special for the holidays, which aligns with how I think of celebratory dressing. I’ll wear this hanging out at home with my family, or if I’m hosting something casual.

Helen Murphy, Branded Content Editor

What I’m most looking forward to celebrating this year:

This year, I was able to do so many things that I couldn’t have dreamed of doing for much of last year — going to concerts, live theatre, yoga classes, art museums, seeing my friends who live in different cities. Even though it was still very hard in many ways, I’m celebrating the (safe) return of these activities, as well as my renewed sense of appreciation for them.

The valuable lesson I’m taking into 2022:

It sounds like the most clichéd thing in the world, but I’ve really learned to appreciate the small moments: Hanging out and watching TV with a friend I haven’t seen in a while, ordering an extra-large popcorn at the movie theatre just because, reading a good book at a coffee shop. I deeply missed all of these moments last year.

My proudest achievement this year:

Late last year, I decided I wanted to write a novel. I knew that it would be a rough draft, that it would be messy and free-flowing, but I just wanted to get all of my ideas down on paper. In early January, I set myself a word count goal to hit every month, and I’ve hit it every single month so far. It’s been an essential creative outlet for me, and even though there’s still so much work to go, I’m very proud that I’ll have a completed first draft of a novel by the end of the year.

How I’m spending the holidays:

I’ll be going home to Michigan for the holidays to spend a couple of weeks relaxing with my family and friends, eating good food, and maybe getting some skiing in. I love Michigan in the holiday season because the snow is always so beautiful.

Why I’ll be reaching for this J.Crew look all season:

I absolutely love the sweater — big, chunky sweaters are always my go-to during the winter months. They’re easy to throw on and will keep you warm and cozy, but they still look stylish. (I particularly like the sleeves on this one.) Pairing the sweater with the white pants dresses up the look a little bit more, making it perfect for a holiday party or a fancy dinner hang with friends.