Although Christmas in July is not a religious holiday, the unofficial mid-summer celebration, which runs June 25th through July 25th, is six months away from the actual Christmas holiday. For many, it’s an excuse to host festive traditions like decorating trees, exchanging gifts, and watching holiday movies to share the joy and community spirit of the holiday season during the summer. This “pseudo-holiday” goes back to 1933, when the founders of Keystone Camp in Brevard, North Carolina, threw a two-day Christmas celebration for its campers.
I remembered that 10 years ago, at our extended family vacation at the shore, my husband suggested that since we all lived in different parts of the country and wouldn’t see each other at Christmas, we celebrate Christmas in July. At first, I thought it was a bit crazy —a holiday associated with the cold and snow being celebrated in the heat of summer. Each of the twenty family members, ranging in age from 10 through 90, brought one wrapped gift to the vacation. For several hours we enjoyed playing the White Elephant gift exchange game. We laughed so hard when my 90-year-old mother-in-law received a boogie board and my brother-in-law opened a potholder – making kit. However, the best was watching my 10-year-old niece jump up and down after she stole the boogie board from her grandma exchanging it for a hot pink bikini.
While this summer we aren’t vacationing with our extended family, I thought about how much joy that Christmas in July brought our family. As a diversion and an escape from the oppressive heat this July, I decided it would be fun to celebrate the holiday. I wasn’t about to haul up five Rubbermaid tubs from the basement or set up a Christmas village, but I pulled out a small ceramic tree with lights along with some flickering red candles and an artificial Christmas wreath. Just enough to decorate my dining room and to bring a smile to my face. I even surprised my husband with several unexpected gifts throughout the month and convinced him to watch a Hallmark movie with me.
As writers, we sometimes forget about the little things that can make us happy as well as productive. In the spirit of Christmas, I was thinking about ways to infuse some joy into my writing.
Agreed—we all need to recharge our batteries and find new inspiration. Why not go on a mini-vacation and spend the night in a local hotel where you can write for hours on end or into the night without family obligations? Or maybe sit by the pool and read your favorite novel set in a Christmas town.
How about treating yourself to a special writing gift? Maybe it’s time to buy that new leather laptop bag or mechanical pen and pencil set you’ve been eyeing. What about signing up for an online writing course or conference?
While there are still two weeks left of Christmas in July, I challenge you to find some way to bring joy into your writing life too.
Best, Shellie
Where the rhythm of the road meets the rhythm of the page
Shellie Pickett Author 
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