How to Celebrate Christmas in July

Fabulous Christmas craft ideas that can be made all year long.

By: Marah Altenberg, Editor, AllFreeChristmasCrafts

By: Marah Altenberg, Editor, AllFreeChristmasCrafts

Sleigh bells ringing in July, when we are all sitting by the pool, enjoying working on our tan, and playing golf and tennis, seems a bit odd, but some look forward to their Christmas in July hiatus each year.

This is one day, about six months before the BIG day, when we get permission to think about Santa coming down the chimney and all of the fun and decorations that go along with that.

Although Christmas in July is not a national holiday, it is a great time to get those Christmas craft wheels turning for your potential summer celebration.

Christmas in July is a great opportunity to not only have a tropical Christmas celebration with family and friends, but also a great time to start creating your many decorations and gifts for the upcoming Christmas season.

"In South Africa, Christmas in July is only just starting to catch on," said Benetta Strydom, one of our top AFXC blogger contributors. "I think the day could have value as part of our celebrations, as long as it does not make us forget the original religious meaning behind Christmas itself."

AllFreeChristmasCrafts has many ideas on wonderful Christmas craft projects that would be incredibly suitable for a gift or decoration at a Christmas-themed event. There are many amazing touches you can add to your party to make it a Christmas in July blowout.

Historians believe the earliest time when Christmas in July became a known event was in July 1933 at Camp Keystone, a girl's summer camp in North Carolina, which celebrated with a Christmas tree, gifts, and a visit by Santa Claus. The term was first put in the national spotlight when the Hollywood movie comedy "Christmas in July" came out in 1940. It was written and directed by Preston Sturges. In the story, a man is fooled into believing he has won $25,000 in an advertising slogan contest. He buys presents for family, friends, and neighbors, and proposes marriage to his girlfriend.

Tips for Making Christmas in July Party Decorations

We have some wonderful tips to give you that will help make your Christmas in July the most memorable party of the year. From some food and drink suggestions, to some amazing decorating ideas, we have got the information you are looking for to make your party special for your all of your guests. Look no further for the cutests ideas, we have some great ones to share.

Set up an artificial Christmas tree in the party space and ask guests if they can bring a special ornament to put on it. When guests arrive at the party they can put their specially made personal ornaments on the tree, such as these DIY crocheted ornaments below. The possibilities are endless.
Another great idea for a party is to create a tree skirt or special stocking that you can have all of your party guests sign. They can write some very personal messages on the tree skirt, for example the No Sew Winter Tree Skirt below, or stocking, each Christmas season and look back at the wishes they were given. This is a nice idea as both the skirt and the stocking are items you can use each year, not just something you will throw in a closet.
Another great decorating tip is to make large candy canes out of pool noodles to decorate your venue. This is such an easy task and you may already have some pool noodles. You can acquire some red or white pool noodles and wrap them with very wide either white or red ribbons to get the candy cane vision you desire. The noodle should also bend easily into the candy cane shape you need. These will be fun to put around the room or hang one on each chair. You can also put together these Deliciously Festive Candy Christmas Trees to decorate your tables. There are a myriad of ways you can use these.
You can put up some Ultra Thin Wire LED Lights around the room to give it a special glow. You could also turn the lights down and give the room some ambience. Nothing like some lights to bring in that December spirit that everyone so dearly loves. For this decoration, you may be able to use the same lights you use on your home. Then these decorations will essentially be free. Great idea and will definitely contribute to sticking to your budget.

Christmas in July Crafty Foods

There are many great food ideas to use for a Christmas in July party that will suit your theme and give your guests some merriment. We have a few ideas to share that will get you in the mood for Christmas carols and more. Check out some of these gems that will have guests thinking it's a white July for sure.

Cookies with the Santa on a surf board, cookies shaped like towels with cute sayings on them, and cookies that reflect a more spring and summer theme, like ones that depict a bird's nest, are the types of dessert items you are looking for to add some jolly fun to your dessert table. There are many different ways to present your cookies, which could also be a variety of flavors to please your hungry guests.
This idea is just too cute for words. You can make fresh strawberries into miniature Santa Clauses. You can take frosting and sugar and sugar coat the bottom and then cut the top off of the strawberry. You can put some frosting or whipped cream between the bottom and top of strawberry. Put the top back on and stick a mini-marshmallow on top and there you have it, a delicious and healthy Santa Claus for dessert. These are very fun to look at and also a great fruit to serve in the summer months. Another Santa's touch could be the Glittery Santa's Belly Jar below, which will can also give a magnificent Christmas touch to your tables.
A great and absolutely delicious drink to serve at your home Christmas in July party, or even one at the office, could be egg nog coladas. It may be a little more difficult to find, but worth the extra trip as your eggnog coladas will be the hit of the party. There are different recipes to use that will give you that tropical yet Christmas-like feel on a warm day in the summer. This drink is a must-serve to really bring home that winter wonderland feeling you so desire. Since your guests have been good all year this a welcome reward.

Christmas DIY Gifts

Here are some of our favorite crafts that you can make to give as a present at your next Christmas in July event, or use July to make some special gifts ahead of the busy Christmas season. You could also buy a gift and make one of these crafts to adorn the outside of the package. Any gift is really more special when the person receiving it knows you took the time and effort to make a gift yourself. This is a gift they will treasure and will help to make Christmas meaningful every year going forward.

5 Clever Tips for Celebrating Christmas in July

- Cut pieces of watermelon into the shape of a Christmas tree
- Take little pigs in a blanket and form them into the shape of a wreath
- Have ugly sun visor day, instead of ugly sweater day
- Make your yard special with Christmas decor
- Make snowmen out of icecream and serve them for dessert

How to Make Christmas Gingerbread Man Soap

"The biggest value that I would find from (Christmas in July) is offering another opportunity for families to get together and share a hearty meal, and most importantly, use a different menu than that used during the traditional Christmas. In South Africa, Christmas is celebrated during our summer, and it is too hot for a lot of the traditional foods associated with this day," says Benetta Strydom, prominent contributor to AllFreeChristmasCrafts. Strydom would also like to see it as an inspirational time in terms of gift giving, getting people thinking about what gifts they would like to create and making some smaller projects before the season begins. "I do not think that it should be a time when gifts are bought, as is the case with Christmas. Personally I would rather focus on making Christmas-themed cards or small gifts to show love and appreciation."

What is favorite type of craft to make for Christmas?

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SissieSass

Aug 31, 2018

I love all your decorating tips. Do you often host holiday parties in July? I think that this is a fun idea when everyone is feeling blah and the holidays are so far away. It is a great way to help everyone feel cooler during a hot summer too because you can get them to think about the cold temperatures for a bit.