Christmas in July – Fun Facts and History!
The Australian celebration of ‘Christmas in July’ is somewhat unusual and some even suggest a slightly eccentric festival that now attracts international travelers to the land of Australia. Christmas in July ‘or Yulefest, as it is also known, is believed to have been born by accident on a snowy night in July 1980 at an award-winning’ Mountain Heritage ’boutique hotel in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. A group of Irish guests noticed the irony of winter weather in July and, wanting to recreate the feelings associated with winter at home, asked the hotel owner if he could organize some Christmas-style meals and festivities for them that night. Thus was born Christmas in July with Christmas decorations, snowmen, mulled wine, Christmas carols, roast dinners, mince pies, plum pudding, eggnog, chocolates, Christmas cookies, campfires and the occasional snow in a magical country of the Christmas wonders of the festivities.
The idea spread quickly and now in July the peak season for Australian snow fields, Christmas decorations and special events are meticulously planned to attract visitors to the snow-themed Yulefest celebrations. Many families now enjoy the winter holidays in the snow fields where they build snowmen as they see Santa Claus in the distance sliding down the snow slopes. HoHOho-ing!
Interestingly, the first reference to the phrase “Christmas in July” was in July 1933 at a girls’ summer camp in North Carolina, USA The term later gained momentum with the release of the Hollywood motion picture comedy ‘Christmas in July’ in 1940. Later, in 1942, Calvary Baptist Church in the United States celebrated ‘Christmas in July’ with a sermon ‘Christmas Gifts in July’ that also included the erection of a Christmas tree, which at the end of the sermon it would be covered with donations and gifts from the congregation. Donations and gifts are then distributed to missions around the world. In 1946, this annual service began to be broadcast on local radio. It wasn’t until the 1950s that American advertisers paved the way for “Christmas in July” sales themes.
While Yulefest has become an incredibly popular annual Australian unofficial holiday season, Christmas in July in Copenhagen, Denmark in Bakken is quite unique, with the annual Santa Claus World Congress. Bakken is a popular amusement park where hundreds of Santas, Mrs Clauses and elves from all over the world gather to have fun at this festival every year. They organize parades and love to hit the beach for an annual beach paddle. It is known that it is quite funny to see all these Santas on the beach. The King of Santa Claus of the year is named during this ‘Christmas festival in July’ and many challenging topics are discussed, such as what is the true homeland of Santa Claus and what size of gifts to give. There are even belly-shaking laugh competitions as part of the festivities for this fun event.
Here are some universal thoughts on some of the symbols related to Christmas in July:
– Red is the main color of Christmas in July – it represents the magical flow of life, the blood that flows within all of us – so remember to let your love, passion and energy flow. Commit to showing your love a little more each day and do what you do, no matter how insignificant it may be, with a little more love and enthusiasm each day and you will discover a new passion for life within you and a new flow of energy.
– The second color of Christmas in July is green: vegetation reminds us that we must honor the eternal transforming element of nature. Everything radiates energy. Energy does not die, it simply transforms. Green calms our hearts knowing that we are part of an endless cycle that is disbursed and reborn again.
– The combination of red and green on the color wheel: red and green are opposites and the opposites create balance. These two prominent colors of July Christmas draw us into a deep unconscious connection to the harmony and peace that we all seek within. The Christmas wreath has both red and green and is tied with a ribbon to remind us that we are all tied; We are for each other!