Christmas in July

Christmas in July is Christmas without the hassle of the holiday. Despite the warm July weather you can host a fun and easy Christmas party that will have all your friends saying wow! So drag out the decorations to deck the halls in all their red and green finery... It's Christmas in July!

Christmas in July Invitations
Send a personalized Christmas in July invitation that will wow all of your guests and get them thinking of cold weather! You can even throw a little snowflake confetti in the envelope - it will evoke blissful memories of a winter wonderland while we are melting in this July heat!

If your Christmas in July is for a large event consider a fabulous custom caricature of yourself dressed as Santa, lying on the beach! Your friends will definitely get a kick out of that! Not only can you use it for invitations, but signage, seating cards and favors too!

Since it is summer your guests will arrive in sundresses, shorts and t-shirts. But that doesn't mean you can't encourage them to be creative! Specify red and green attire, or include a Santa hat in with the invitations and tell them, no shoes, no Santa hat, no soirée!

Christmas in July Decorations and Party Supplies
Welcome guests to your winter wonderland with a personalized Christmas in July banner. Hang it outside your house with a few strands of Christmas lights decorating your front walk and door. If you have a Christmas wreath you put on the door every year drag that out. Or go for a fun foil wrapped door decorator.

Inside you can greet your guests with a lifesized cutout of the host or hostess as Santa or Mrs. Claus. Place a basket of red and green leis by the entrance so your guests can dress with a little summer and Christmas at the same time.

Here are a few easy and inexpensive way to deck your halls -
  • Cover empty boxes with holiday wrapping paper and bows and pile them around the house, especially in corner and on tables.
  • Create decorative snowballs that won't melt in the July heat. Purchase Styrofoam balls and white glitter from the craft store. Brush the Styrofoam with a liberal amount of clear or white glue, and roll the ball in the glitter. Let it dry overnight. Pile the snowballs in glass bowls or plastic pails.
  • Christmas lights are the ultimate decoration. String them up all over the yard, deck, and party room.
  • If your party is outside, line your yard with tiki torches. And on each of the poles tie one of those small red velvet bows that have a twist tie on the back, (I know you have a million of them in the attic).
  • Pull out that Beach Boys Christmas CD you have hidden away. It's the perfect soundtrack for a Christmas in July Party.
Another great way to decorate inexpensively is with scene setters. The whole room will feel like it's Christmas Eve with just a few of these great decorations. Here are a few of our favorites -
  • Nutcrackers - These are great flanking a doorway!
  • Fireplace Scene - July is a little warm to have the fireplace roaring, but this is a cool substitute.
  • Playful Snowman - You can't go wrong with these cute winter friends.
Just have fun with it. Christmas in July is much more casual and stress free than its December counterpart, so pull out the dancing and singing reindeers you have been getting every year from Uncle Herbie and leave the Spode Christmas tree china packed up.

Christmas in July Table Decorations and Menu
Mix up your table with Christmas and summer theme products. For paper goods go with a cute red and white Santa Ho Ho Ho! design. Then use red and white checkered tablecloths to match. For centerpieces set out a few citronella candles and sprinkle Christmas confetti across the tabletop.

Since Christmas meals are usually heavy, tailor traditional dishes to make them more appropriate for the summer. Have honey glazed ham and turkey sandwiches, sweet potato fries, fresh green beans, cranberry Jell-O salad and sugar cookies. Close enough to evoke holiday memories without having to make a turkey (stuffing and all) on a hot summer day.

Speaking of the heat, your guests will be getting thirsty after all this Christmas cheer. Be sure to have plenty of bottled beverages and ice on hand. You can dress them up with personalized bottle labels that fit your Christmas in July theme.

For your adult guests serve beer with personalized beer bottle labels. And what a jolly idea it would be to serve a fun signature drink to all of your guests in a red shot glass or green glowing cup! Here is the perfect drink -

Eggnog Milkshake
  • 1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream
  • 1/3 cup Eggnog
  • Nutmeg
  • Shot of brandy, rum or whiskey (optional)
Combine ingredients in a blender, and mix until blended. Top with a dash of Nutmeg.

If you can't find eggnog this time of year you can always make your own:

Eggnog
  • 4 cups milk
  • 4 cups heavy cream
  • 12 egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, vanilla extract, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and place over a low flame. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring constantly to keep from scorching. Combine eggs yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk together. Slowly pour some of the hot milk into the bowl to temper the egg yolks. Then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Stir constantly for about four minutes until the mixture thickens, but do not bring it to a boil. Strain out the cloves and let stand until cooled. Stir in the heavy cream.

Guests will love the attention to detail!

Christmas in July Activities
Christmas Karaoke! This is FUN--especially after about two eggnog milkshakes, and you don't have to go tromping through the snow! Handout some fun Christmas wearables to get everyone in the spirit. We love the Santa Chimney Hat; props bring out the performer in all of us!

Try a few of these upbeat Christmas tunes and everyone will be singing along:
  • Here Comes Santa Claus
  • Up on the Housetop
  • Deck the Halls
  • I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
  • Jingle Bell Rock
  • Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer
  • Jingle Bells
  • Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
  • Santa Claus is Coming to Town
  • The Twelve Days of Christmas
  • We Wish you a Merry Christmas
  • Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Don't forget to include traditional Summer Party Games like horseshoes and volleyball. Just rename them - "Reindeer Shoes" and "Holly-Jollyball".

Christmas in July Party Favors
Send your guests home with a fun reminder of your holiday celebration. A personalized Christmas in July candy bar wrapper is a great choice! If you are having kids a the party you can fill a felt stocking with summer goodies like sidewalk chalk, bubbles and candy.

Another fun idea is to create Christmas ornaments for all of your guests. Purchase clear ornaments from your local craft store and fill them with clean sand and a cocktail umbrella. It will be a nice reminder of warmer weather when they place it on their tree in 6 months!!

Merry Christmas (in July)!