Christmas in July

Christmas in July!!!

Christmas in July is supposedly on July 25th and for anyone celebrating, turn to Music Choice to listen to Christmas songs and get some tips for a gathering. Music Choice has offered tips such as making eggnog-coladas, turning a swim tube into a candy cane, adding crushed peppermints to S'mores, having an ugly tank top party, and even pulling out the Christmas decorations and hanging a few lights and decorating any type of tree with a sea star on top! 

These are terrific tips, especially for those of us who are full of holiday spirit year round, but it never occurred to me to have an actual Christmas party. Apparently, Australia offers holiday menus during the month and a place in Africa actually celebrates with a big bash complete with contests and gifts. Even so, for America it is all about the retailers and it seems as if toys, ornaments, and sweaters are marked down quite a bit during this time. Probably to make way for the new ones coming in for the season. 

However, since it is Christmas in July, nothing says holiday like lights and ornaments, and the best part is, since it is summer, the best place to decorate is the porch and backyard.

Christmas in July BBQ

Preparing for a Christmas in July BBQ might be somewhat fun. Not as many ornaments need to be pulled out, one does not have to worry about buying a bunch of gifts, and decorating is easy.

• Decorations-Pull out some Christmas lights, string them around the porch, hang a fake wreath or wrap tinsel around the lights or hang a few ornaments on the lights. Place tiki torches in the yard, tell friends and family they are welcome to bring their own chairs and have a CD player on the porch playing Christmas CD's.
• Tablescape- Place a Christmas tablecloth over the main table. Go to a craft store and find fake Poinsettia's  and arrange them in a glass jar or vase filled with seashells. Make that the only decoration on the table besides the food-have each guest bring a side dish.
• Gift Exchange- Do a grab bag style gift exchange, it could even be an ornament exchanged-used or new, perfect to get before the season begins. Keep gifts under 10 or 5 dollars.
• Reindeer Games- Okay, there is no snow, but there is water balloons, Frisbee, Football, Baseball, and there could even be an obstacle course set up with silly prices. If it's real hot, get some water slides or just use the sprinkler to let kids cool off in. Also, get a sand box (if you dare) and see if guests can build a sand snowman.
• Kids Crafts- it is a good idea to have some crafts in mind just in case it rains and the kids cannot be outside. One would be to make snowman using glue, cotton balls, construction paper, and kid safe scissors-easy breezy. Another idea is get a bunch of plain sugar cookies, have different colored icings, sprinkles, colored sugar and other edible goodies laid out for the kids to create their own Christmas Cookie Ornament and eat it!! Overall, keep it simple.
• Christmas Movie- okay, to end the evening, sit back and enjoy a Christmas movie favorite.

For those who want to really annoy the neighbors, SING CHRISTMAS CAROLS LOUD!!!! Anyways, Merry Christmas!