Christmas in July

This article is about the unofficial holiday. For the 1940 film, see Christmas in July (film).

Christmas in July, also Holiday in July in the United States, is an unofficial holiday celebrated by some people (mostly young people) and/or exploited as a marketing opportunity. When celebrated, it is celebrated sometime during the month of July (generally, July 25, James, son of Zebedee´s day). Many people do not celebrate this time, however, and even among those who mark this time, it is far less important than Christmas.

In Western culture, Christmas occurs on December 25. With Christmas generally comes gift-giving and much holiday cheer. During the summer months in the northern hemisphere, the weather becomes increasingly warm and many people crave for the atmosphere of cooler temperatures, gift giving, and holiday spirit. To satisfy this craving, some people throw parties during the month of July that mimic the holiday of Christmas. Features of Christmas in July include Santa Claus, ice cream and other cold foods, and gifts. Often nightclubs host parties open to the public.

In many western countries, July has few marketing opportunities, so to justify sales, shops will sometimes announce a "Christmas in July" sale.

Technically, if one wanted to hold an event to mark the halfway point in between consecutive Christmases, one should hold the event on June 25, which is six days before the month of July. Thus, theoretically, the name should be "Christmas in June". However, Christmas and December are generally equated with colder temperatures and the average temperatures in July are higher than those in June, thus the name Christmas in July is appropriate. In addition, the Scandinavian word for Yule is Jul, which happens to be the abbreviation for July in English.

Among those who mark this time at all, their response to it varies:

• In some parts of Australia and New Zealand, where Christmas falls in the summer and July is the one of the coldest months, Christmas in July parties are held to mimic the traditional northern Christmas. Some traditional Christmas activities are difficult to have in the December summertime (such as a heavy meal with roasted meats and heavy sweets like plum pudding), so these may be held in July instead. In Australia this celebration is also called "Half-Christmas."
• McMurdo Station in Antarctica celebrates Christmas in July, as well as in December. Its origins there appear to be how deliveries were made. July is in the middle of winter in Antarctica; high winds and ice once made it too dangerous for planes to land with supplies. Instead, planes parachuted deliveries (such as food and mail) to the ice; the sudden arrival in July of presents from the sky reminded some people of a "visit from Santa."
• In the United States it is more often used as a marketing tool than as an actual holiday celebrated by ordinary people. Television stations may choose to re-run Christmas specials, and many stores have "Christmas in July" sales. Still, some individuals do choose to celebrate the time themselves, typically as an intentionally transparent excuse to have a party.

The television shopping networks QVC and Home Shopping Network have shows titled Christmas in July.

External links

• Christmas in July Festival
• Christmas in July! (Theater Effects)
• Christmas in July
• Jeff's Journal (from McMurdo Station, Antarctica)