I could be way off base here, but if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you likely have never come across the phrase ‘Christmas in July’. Christmas on your side of the world probably involves the whole kit and kaboodle – hot cocoa, toasted marshmallows, roaring fires, and maybe even the snowy white Christmas that dreams are made of (yes, I have watched a lot of Christmas movies so I acknowledge that I may be creating a more idealised version of a Northern Hemisphere Christmas than is real). Conversely, Christmas in Australia lands when we are marching full steam into our sweltering summer, often making it more of a shorts, flip-flops and hiding inside with the air conditioning sort of affair. I want to be transparent and say that I love Australia. It is a wonderful place to live and I feel extremely lucky to be here. But I can’t help my longing for Christmas to be in wintertime, watching for signs of snow through the frosty window as I warm up by the fire with my hot cocoa.

What is Christmas in July?

The origins of this event are somewhat vague, but in Australia, it appears to have originated in the Blue Mountains in the 1980s. The Blue Mountains are in a stunning area in New South Wales that looks similar to the Irish landscape in winter (according to Irish tourists, I can’t vouch for this myself). The main highlight is that it sometimes snows in this spot, sparking the idea of celebrating Christmas in July so we can have the whole winter Christmas experience. The concept has spread across the country and now many restaurants and other entertainment venues are promoting Christmas in July festivals and yuletide events. It sounds a bit odd now that I explain it in so much detail, but enough people seem to partake in the experience that it must be what the people want.

This is the Blue Mountains. Does it look like Ireland? I’m not sure. Maybe with some snow?

There are of course some negative views of Christmas in July. An article on Medium features a Christian author who has strong opinions about the inappropriateness of Christmas being used as a gimmicky holiday. I would share the link but some of the comments were offensive (IMO), but, I can appreciate that having a Christmas celebration just for fun would feel wrong for those who value its religious meaning. In his video Things They Don’t Tell You About Christmas In July Until You Move To Australia, That Johnston Life comments that while a bonus Christmas can be fun, many shops zealously use it as an opportunity for a Christmas in July sale, literally cashing in on this celebration twice in the same year. Many of us (usually mothers) who do the hard work to create the magic of Christmas in December have no interest in doing it again in July, which is absolutely reasonable.

However, as a die-hard Christmas fanatic, when I discovered that a small town near where I live was having a Christmas in July festival, I was very keen to be involved. There were open fires outside, cups of mulled wine, gingerbread decorating, and marshmallow toasting. The town itself is already adorable and with the addition of fairy lights and Christmas trees, it was just lovely. Ultimately, it wasn’t really Christmas, of course. Christmas is a whole season of pageants, carols, present buying, writing cards, crafts with the kids, cooking, baking, and planning every detail for that one day. However, I will take this little snippet of Christmas in the middle of the year because I’m a sucker for anything cosy, whimsical, and wholesome. And Christmas in winter is about as cosy as it gets!

Let me know your thoughts.