Celebrating Christmas in July
Christmas in July has been celebrated for decades, but many of us aren’t sure exactly how to go about it and while it’s usually held during the last weekend in July, you can choose any day, as it isn’t an official holiday.
23/07/2021
pinterest.com/pin/310537336806255273/
Christmas in July is a wonderful way to inject sparkle and cheer into your home, and bolster your spirits. It needn’t be complicated, and gives you the perfect excuse to try out some of the traditions from countries that celebrate festivities during winter, like warm gluhwein and deliciously indulgent, hot and creamy dishes.
Michael Bublé, anyone?
There's nothing that gets you into the Christmas spirit faster than a festive playlist. Spotify has excellent collections, from traditional carols to contemporary tracks, like Mariah Carey's “All I Want for Christmas” -- one of the most popular festive songs of all time!
Warm up the home with the endearing scents of vanilla and gingerbread
pinterest.com/pin/252764597826347996/
Warm, baked sugary or gingerbread cookies
Jumpstart your Christmas in July by whipping up a batch of spiced pancakes drizzled with hot berries for breakfast, then baking cookies so that the comforting smell of vanilla and gingerbread fills your home. For the cookies, gather the kids in the kitchen, haul out your festive-shaped cookie cutters and have fun cutting out Christmas tree, star and Santa shapes, then decorating them after baking with red, white and green icing.
Spend the cold winter days indoors and have fun with various craft projects
pinterest.com/pin/197454764899480740/
Create ornaments
Spend a cosy afternoon indoors making Christmas ornaments with the family. Many of us would love to make our own festive wrapping paper or ornaments, but in the dizzy days leading up to Christmas, we rarely get the time to do so. Make the most of this quieter time to create a few meaningful ornaments as keepsakes. You can research DIY ideas online, or keep it simple by cutting heart shapes out of red felt and sewing a pretty ribbon loop onto the end. Come Christmas-time, string them up on the tree as a lovely reminder of family time.
Make a good deeds advent calendar
Helping out a good cause is a brilliant way to teach children about compassion and caring for others. Involve everyone in the family in choosing a few good deeds to do in the months leading up to Christmas. Write them down on pieces of paper that you then fold and clip to a long red ribbon with wooden clothes pegs. Each month, one piece of paper is opened for the family to get involved in. Ideas can be as simple as brightening up the day of seniors at an old-age home by baking cookies and dropping them off, or contacting an animal shelter to see how you can get involved as volunteers.
Pomander balls are a natural air freshener and are easy to make with a sharp knife and cloves
pinterest.com/pin/569423946636130723/
Easy peasy pomander balls
Make the most of oranges as a winter fruit to create pretty pomander balls. Take firm oranges and stud them with cloves, using a toothpick to first make the hole, so that the clove easily slips in. Be creative and arrange the cloves in circular or diamond-shaped patterns -- see images online for inspiration. Display the oranges in a bowl as a centrepiece to add a lovely fragrance to your home.
String up fairy lights
Create a magical fairyland outdoors by stringing up fairy lights throughout your trees and backyard, and across balconies and the eaves of your home. Make sure your outdoor area is spruced by booking an outdoor service from SweepSouth to do a general tidy up of the garden and get rid of leaves and twigs that windy gusts have strewn around.
String outdoor LED fairy lights in the garden to create a winter wonderland setting
pinterest.com/pin/23643966783359664/
Give a small gift
Gift-giving at Christmas dates back to as early as the 13th century, however, the gifts were often fruit or simple toys. In line with that, give a small foodie treat that you know the other person really enjoys, like cashew nuts or chocolate. You could also give warm new pyjamas or slippers, like countries celebrating in winter months do -- that way everyone gets to cosy up in their new PJs for the remainder of winter.
Or, how about a gift that the whole family can enjoy? Things like a large-screen smart TV, a gaming console or even a pool table can be used by old and young alike. What’s more, you don’t need to bend the budget to make it happen. Consider opting for Teljoy's rent-to-own option for acquiring what you’d like. The online retailer offers flexible ways to acquire electronics, appliances and even furniture on a hassle-free month-to-month contract.
Dress up your table
Take out your smart china to make a celebration lunch or dinner feel extra special, and dress up your table with red or gold napkins and white pillar candles. For festive flair, add an arrangement of red Iceland poppies -- a winter flowering annually in South Africa.
We don't get the enjoy a true festive dinner in summer - so why not celebrate in winter when it's cold
pinterest.com/pin/26951297748505724/
Get creative with your menu
Now’s the time to try scrumptiously indulgent festive dishes from countries that celebrate Christmas in winter, but that feel far too heavy to serve up in our summer month of December. It’s also a great foodie opportunity to celebrate the best of winter ingredients, like hearty pies and stews with root vegetables and veggie lasagna with winter squash.
Kick things off in a healthy way with a platter of red and green veggies like mangetout, cherry tomatoes and red and green peppers, with avocado dip in the centre, and salami cigars for extra colour. For starters, serve a festive-red spicy tomato soup, followed by a stuffed grilled chicken and creamy potato bake. Other ideas include a melted cheese fondue, mini pizzas cut into festive shapes with Christmas cookie cutters, and burgers made with turkey patties and festooned with a dollop of cranberry sauce.
Cosy up with hot chocolate
After dinner, cosy up with hot chocolate and marshmallows and put on a Christmas movie. If you have small children in the home, read a Christmas tale like 'Twas the Night Before Christmas or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer before bedtime.
Nothing warms you up that a hot glass of gluhwein or mulled wine
Indulge in a hot drink
For adults, this warm, spicy wine-based drink by Melrick Harrison, the mixologist at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, hits the festive-drinks trifecta.
Recipe (serves 10 or bottle to warm up later):
• 750 ml dry red wine
•
375 ml liqueur
• The peels and juice of ½ an
orange
• 25 ml honey
• 375 ml dessert wine
• 2 whole pieces of cinnamon
• 3 whole cloves
• Pinch of ground allspice
• Grated nutmeg
• Garnish: orange peel
• Garnish: cinnamon
stick
• Garnish: star anise
Put all the ingredients into a pot and set the temperature to medium heat for approximately 30 minutes. The mixture needs to simmer, not boil. Add honey to taste. Serve warm and garnish with an orange peel along with spices of choice, such as a cinnamon stick, star anise and grated nutmeg.
Christmas in July gives you the chance to create a host of new traditions with your family, so make sure you have fun celebrating the wonderful sentiment behind the day. It’s also a great opportunity to express gratitude for life, and will end up making you feel more connected to those who matter most to you.