I never understood why people who live in the snowbelt (or anywhere) would want to waste their precious few summer days celebrating a holiday that they just celebrated 6 months earlier. Isn't once a year enough?
But, 3 kids later, I get it. For most of us, Christmas ranks pretty high on the list of Awesome-Holidays-to-Celebrate. All-out decorating, delicious food, cozy gatherings with family & friends...
Oh, but the STRESS! Who, after all, do you think makes all that awesome-ness happen?!
So, yeah, I totally get it now. Christmas-in-July is the low-stress version! All the awesome but none of the snow, ice, gift-shopping, card-sending, hair-pulling!
OH YEAH! Count me in!
If you're ready to jump in too, here are a few ideas to bring the sights, smells, tastes and nostalgia to your Christmas-in-July shindig. (Look for the *PARTY HACKS* along the way!)
I went for the classic color scheme of red, white and green and added a little sparkle because Christmas decorating just isn't Christmas decorating without some glitta! Because Glitter. 'Nuff said.
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| Garland: Brandalyn's Bowtique |
My favorite part of Christmas-In-July (aside from all that non-stress stuff) is using the tastes of summer on my menu. Like these fresh cherries! Don't forget the watermelon (see some watermelon ideas in this post I did last month), strawberries, raspberries, apples and green grapes! Seriously, could summer make it any easier to color-coordinate with Christmas?!
FOOD
*PARTY HACK* I picked up these strawberry swirl cupcakes in the grocery-store bakery and topped them with fresh cherries and added a cupcake liner underneath. Great ways to add a little extra wow without breaking a sweat! After all, this is supposed to be the low-stress version, right? Repeat after me: "Low-stress is best!" :-)
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1) Crockpot Margarita Chicken: Dip Recipe Creations
2) Brownie Bite Santa Hats: Real Simple
3) Watermelon Snowman: The National Watermelon Promotion Board
4) Raspberry Zinger Cake: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
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*PARTY HACK* If you don't have time to bake, you can totally cheat with #2 and #4! Check your grocery store or big-box store for pre-made Brownie Bites for #2 and for #4, buy a couple boxes of Zinger snack cakes and arrange them on a cake plate! Win!
BEVERAGES
I love the look and simplicity of these green glass Mountain Dew bottles wrapped with wax paper sheets and red twine. Check your local grocery store or beer distributor to see what sodas they have available in glass bottles. You might be surprised how much of a comeback they've made! (Confession... I'm a bit of Mountain Dew addict. I may need help.)
I also found clear glass soda bottles at Michaels Craft Store (see below) ready to be decorated and/or filled with anything you want!
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| Cranberry Rosemary Christmas Sangria: Cooking Stoned TV Watermelon Strawberry Sangria: Food Network |
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| Holiday Punch (non-alcoholic): Here Comes the Sun |
FUN & GAMES
When it comes to summer parties, just being able to be outdoors with good food and friends is usually enough to keep people happy but a little fun & games makes the day so much more memorable. I vote for more memorable :-)
Nothing says "Christmas" like decorating cookies, snowball fights and singing carols by a crackling fire, am I right?!
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| Cookie Decorating Party: 100 Layer Cakelet (while you're there, check out the cute and simple ideas she has for decorating - love those Fa La La balloons!) |
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| "Snowball" Water Balloons: Real Parties |
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| Red, White & |
DECOR
I started with a little white, added a dash of green (it's summer! Let the great outdoors provide you with the perfect shades of green!), a sprinkle of red and a handful of glitter and VOILA!
Instant Christmas!
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| Garland: Brandalyn's Bowtique |
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| Glitter Cone tutorial coming this fall! (Just in time for Frozen-Party season!) |
Paper Lanterns & Fans: Oriental Trading
Don't forget the Tinsel Garland! StitchinSewPrim
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| Tassel Garland: Project Paper FAVORS
I'm a big fan of edible favors and 100% believer in personalized favors. Try to incorporate local favorites into your favors, especially if you have a lot of out-of-town guests. And with a theme like this, it should be easy to find something theme-related.
Dinosaur BBQ is a Syracuse staple and these favors are perfect for showing off some local flavor to your out-of-town guests!
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| Salt Water Taffy: Vanilla & Lace |
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| "Snow" (White Cotton Candy): Best Friends for Frosting |
I had a really hard time narrowing down ideas for this post but that's a really good thing because even though it drove me crazy deciding what to include and what got nixed, it means that you should have no problem finding enough ideas for your own party that are fun, personal and budget-friendly!
Do you already have a Christmas-In-July tradition? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
A special thank you shout out to Rebecca of Ondrey Photography for her always-amazing photos!!!
