Why Do Some People Celebrate Christmas in July?

The “most wonderful time of the year” is so wonderful that some people decide to celebrate it twice a year. Christmas in July is a pseudo-holiday that feels like it’s been around forever. It makes sense as to why: There’s always something appealing about the season you’re not currently in—and in one of the hottest parts of the year, the idea of falling snow and cozy nights inside is as comforting as it is fun. 

But where and when did this concept come from? Though you may be tempted to blame the Hallmark Channel, the annual tradition actually really kicked off with a woman named Fannie Holt and a group of campers in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

1. The Origin of Christmas in July
2. The Spread of Christmas (in July) Cheer

The Origin of Christmas in July

The idea of Christmas in July has been around for centuries. The phrase first pops up in a French opera that debuted in 1892. And in 1933, that concept caught the attention of Holt, the co-founder of Keystone Camp, a girls’ summer camp in North Carolina.

Holt decided the midsummer doldrums needed a bit more magic. She staged a whimsical summer event that became a full-blown Christmas celebration on July 24 and 25, complete with all the festive trimmings. 

Campers at Keystone Camp exchanged quirky gifts and awoke to candy-filled laundry bags that served as makeshift stockings. There was even faux snow, crafted out of cotton and imagination. And yes, Santa made an appearance, despite the very off-season weather. “The fact that we didn’t lose Santa to a heat stroke was pretty fortunate,” Page Ives Lemel, a fourth-generation director of Keystone Camp, told Country Living.

The beloved event was a hit. It remained at the camp itself, becoming a beloved annual tradition that now incorporates elements of other holidays, as well. And, because many of Keystone Camp’s attendees came from out of state, Christmas in July spread beyond one little sliver of Appalachian North Carolina.

The Spread of Christmas (in July) Cheer

By the 1940s, Christmas in July began surfacing elsewhere throughout the U.S. A 1940 film of the same name helped popularize the phrase; churches in Washington, D.C., launched midsummer gift drives under the Christmas in July banner, first for missions and then for soldiers overseas during World War II. Even the U.S. Post Office joined in, encouraging early gift donations to beat the holiday rush and help support the troops.

Retailers, unsurprisingly, also saw an opportunity. By the time the Hallmark Channel debuted its first Christmas in July movie marathon in 2012, the new cultural tradition had set itself in stone. It’s celebrated at sports games; stores hold Christmas in July promotions; and you may even catch some holiday tunes on the radio during the summer.

For holiday lovers, there’s something undeniably appealing about the whole thing. It asks nothing of you besides a little suspension of disbelief and a high tolerance for off-season caroling. That being said, if you do choose to celebrate, no one will blame you for swapping your thick, cozy sweaters for something more lightweight and ordering your hot chocolate with ice. 

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