The idea of Christmas in July has many origins. One of the first comes from a North Carolina girls’ camp in 1933. It was the middle of summer and the camp was visited by Santa Claus! Since then, Christmas in July has become a fun concept and it gives you another chance to celebrate the holidays! (Even if it is during the summer.)
In order to have a spectacular Christmas in July party, you have to have equal parts summer and Christmas. If there’s too much summer, then it’s just a summer party. If there’s too much Christmas, then it’s just a Christmas party. You need to have both aspects for it to work!
There are many things you can do for a great Christmas in July Party! Make it your own and add a little bit of yourself to it. Everyone has both Christmas and summer traditions, so add a bit of you to your party! For some more broad ideas, check out six general ideas for a Christmas in July party!
Light Christmas Scented Candles (And Summer Ones Too!)
Make your whole house smell like Christmas! When people walk in, they will instantly feel like it's Christmas time. It might be too hot to use the fireplace, so a candle will add that special aspect that brings in the winter feeling! Lighting a few candles will also set the mood for your whole party!
Not sure which candle to use? Well, use a few! Mix it up and use both Christmas candles and summer candles. Any sort of lemonade or coconut scent adds that summer flare while anything that smells of pinewood and gingerbread will be a great representation of Christmas. Bath and Body Works has a great salted caramel popcorn candle that would even do the trick for both sides! Impress your guests with the scent of Christmas in July!
Decorate a Palm Tree Or Make Your Own Summer Ornaments
Every year, homes across the world decorate for Christmas by putting a tree in their home and placing lights and ornaments on it. Everyone knows what the quintessential Christmas tree looks like. That's why for Christmas in July, you decorate a palm tree instead!
Decorating a palm tree would be great fun. And if you can't find anything that resembles a palm tree, you can always use one of those inflatable ones. If you want to use your regular Christmas tree though, you can always have your guests decorate their own summer themed ornaments to put on the Christmas tree instead! You can find clear ornaments at most craft stores or online.
Watch Your Favorite Christmas Movie or Listen to Christmas Music
Have a Christmas movie marathon as your Christmas in July theme would make you long for Christmas time. Pick your favorite movie and enjoy! If you aren't sure which movie to pick, select an underrated Christmas movie such as Arthur Christmas! Settle everyone around the television and pass around some sweet popcorn and holiday drinks!
If movies aren't for you, pick out a Pandora station specific to your theme. There are many Christmas stations on Pandora. If you're feeling more hipster, you can choose the She & Him Christmas album. If you're more classic, but not classical, choose Michael Buble because goodness knows that man loves Christmas time! Entertainment such as movies and music will help set the mood for your party!
Serve Christmas Food and Drinks Such As Frozen Hot Chocolate
There are all types of food that can work in both the summer and Christmas theme! This can include peppermint ice cream, frozen hot chocolate, and homemade decorated sugar cookies (with some lemon zest). Every party needs some good old fashioned hors d'oeuvres that your guests will love! It's up to you to figure out what those hors d'oeuvres should be, especially depending on your guests.
You can even have a sundae bar! Have all the fixings your guests will love with a Christmas (and summer) twist to it! Things can include the usual: bananas, ice cream, chocolate sauce, and sprinkles. But, you should make the sprinkles Christmas colors! You can also add some strawberry whipped cream for color.
Have a White Elephant Exchange
Have every guest at your party bring a gift! If you haven't heard of a white elephant exchange, it's basically a Christmas gift guessing game. Everyone brings a gift and then everyone picks a picking order. Whoever is first picks a gift. The person after them can either pick a gift or steal the gift the person before them picked. If they steal the gift, the person who was stolen from gets to go next!
This is a great game to play at Christmas time, but it's also fun to play at a Christmas in July party! You can even add a summer theme and make everyone bring a summer focused gift like swim goggles or margarita mix! There are many options with this game, but if it's not your speed, you can pick another game such as secret Santa!
Create Paper Snowflakes
Everyone knows how to create a paper snowflake! When you can't make the weather outside cooperate, the next best thing to do is to get to creating weather yourself! Cutting out paper snowflakes and taping them up on your ceiling would be a great finishing touch to your Christmas in July party.
All you need to do to create a snowflake is fold a piece of paper, cut out some shapes, unfold, and then you're done! Attach each snowflake to a piece of a string and then tape each one to your ceiling! Guests will love it and it will make it really feel like a Christmas in July party for sure!
Celebrate Christmas in July by throwing the best party of the summer!
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