During the months of November and December, a certain unspoken cheer is always present in the air. The spirits are higher, the weather is colder (or as cold as Louisiana will get), and everyone seems to share the excitement of the holidays to come. Five months earlier in the crushing heat of July, the mood is entirely different. So, due to some new traditions, cultural influences, and the impatience for holiday cheer during the summer, Christmas in July became.
The most widely believed story of the origin of Christmas in July comes from Australia in the Blue Mountains near New South Wales. It began in 1980 when a group of tourists visiting from Ireland suggested the concept of a new celebration to the manager of the hotel at which they were staying. They called it Yulefest.
Yulefest is also connected to the unofficial holiday referred to as Midwinter, which is followed by many English and European groups in Australia and New Zealand during the winter months. In the Southern Hemisphere, this is in June, July or August. This may be another reason as to why the concept of Christmas in July found its way to the Western countries.
Today in Australia it is used more commonly as a marketing gimmick for the Australian skiing resorts, which have their best skiing season during the month of July. Marketing examples of Christmas in July are found elsewhere in Australia as well, rather than only in the snowfields.
McMurdo Station, an American Antarctic research center located on Ross Island, celebrates a form of Christmas in July with origins rooted in the way that deliveries were sent to them. July in Antarctica is in the middle of its winter which contains high winds and ice that make it extremely dangerous for supply planes to land on the station’s location. Rather, they received supplies via parachuted deliveries from the sky. The sudden, skyward appearance of “presents” in July reminded some of the stations attendants of a “visit from Santa.”
Another connection between Christmas and July finds itself in the roots of the Scandinavian language.
The Scandinavian word for Yule is Jul, which happens to be the most commonly used abbreviation for the month of July in the English language.
The concept of Christmas in July is used today mostly as a marketing gimmick in the United States. With new autumn-centered lines of clothing coming into retail locations, owners of these stores often use Christmas in July themed sales to sell as much of their summer merchandise as possible before the new arrivals come in.
The concept is also seen through various television specials which often air holiday specials and networks such as QVC and the Home Shopping Network which have shows called Christmas in July.
So, don’t fret about these scorching summer months. Christmas may still be a few months away, but one is bound to find a Christmas in July celebration wherever they may go.
So until December, try to stay merry!
