The Origin of Christmas in July

Christmas in July is a relatively new tradition that has gained in popularity with families, businesses and advertisers alike in recent years. The term is loosely applied by local businesses and restaurants looking for an excuse for a sale or a celebration as well as by regular people who go all out with decorations, caroling and gift giving. On the other side of the globe, Australians and New Zealanders celebrate an improvised yuletide holiday in late June and early July, the depths of winter season in those months. Let's take a look at the origins of Christmas in July as well as it's role in modern culture.

All sources point to a girl's summer camp near Brevard, North Carolina as the location of the first Christmas in July. In July of 1933, camp counselors at Camp Keystone arranged for a Christmas celebration for the girls at camp, complete with gifts, Santa Clause and a Christmas Tree. The camp continued to celebrate Christmas in July on through the years, and former campers have posted their recollection of the celebration that continued on into the early 1960's at the camp's website.

In 1940, the term got national recognition with the release of the Preston Sturges's directorial debut, Christmas in July. This romantic comedy follows the story of an office clerk who is tricked in to thinking that he has won a large sum of money, leading him to buy people presents and propose marriage to his girlfriend. This title appeared again in the 1979 Animagic special, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. This featured the stop-motion Rudolph and Frosty made famous in the Christmas specials, inexplicably bringing their Christmas cheer to the Fourth of July.

By the time of World War II, Christmas in July was celebrated in a number of American churches and had gotten the attention of the greeting card industry who encouraged citizens to send early Christmas care packages to members of the military serving overseas. During the 1950's, the advertising industry took hold of the term and it hasn't let go since, with annual sales and promotions throughout the country baring the name Christmas in July. However, the concept has not entirely lost its roots, and many summer camps continue the tradition of exchanging gifts for Christmas in July right into the present day.

Sources:

http://blog.christmaslightsetc.com/2009/06/christmas-in-july-offers-cool-escape.html
http://www.keystonecamp.com/alumnae/memories.php
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032338/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079828/