Celebrating Christmas … but in July?

As we discovered in our five years spent in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the quickly changing weather was a big factor in how we lived our lives. There were endless days when there were bright blue skies – but then we would be hit by a snowstorm.

So, with four young children under the age of seven, there was great anticipation and excitement in the lead up to our first Advent season in the States. We naturally thought this would be the first time we would get to celebrate the birth of Jesus while dressed in warm winter clothes and surrounded by a beautiful snowy landscape.

As an abundance of sparkling lights began to be strewn over our neighbours’ houses, in early December, the Christmas spirit overflowed and we waited for the joyous Christian celebration to unfold.

Of course, the reality was very different.

Yes, we did get to celebrate the birth of Jesus and sing carols outside under the stars, and the thousands of twinkling Christmas lights that filled the sky. However, as the sun rose on December 25 there was no snow and instead of sledding down the driveway for fun, we had to make do with a game of cricket surrounded by the brown earth and parched vegetation.

(As we later learned, Colorado receives a majority of its snow in the springtime and in our first March we lived through a once-in-100-year blizzard and were snowed in for a week!)

The traditional ‘northern hemisphere’ Christmas lunch of hot turkey, roast vegetables and gravy, followed by pudding and custard also didn’t live up to my expectations. Who knew that a turkey would take so long to cook and roasting vegetables all ready to eat at the same time is stressful and tedious? Give me cold meat and salads any day!

Understandably, it was with some amusement when a few years later I was able to witness one of the families from our neighbourhood experiencing their first ‘hot’ Christmas Down Under.

Our dear friends arrived at our house in mid-December, at a time when southern Australia was in the stronghold of a drought and struggling through an endless string of days in the high 30s. The flies were so thick and friendly that our guests quickly purchased nets to cover their heads for the duration of their stay. Christmas lights were few and far between – everyone thought it was too hot to put them up and all money was being used to power airconditioners 24/7.

Christmas Day arrived and we ate outside, in the stifling heat, because that is our family tradition. Fortunately, the lunch menu was a selection of prawns, cold meat, salads and pavlova to finish, so at least the oven wasn’t running. The afternoon was spent at the beach swimming and trying to stay cool as best we could.

Indeed, a very different Christmas for them and although I think they enjoyed it, my good friend admitted she was happy to be back celebrating Christmas Day in the cold the following year.

It seems strange to be relating stories of Christmas when we are only half way through the year, but it seems some people just can’t wait the full 12 months between celebrations. In recent times the whole ‘Christmas in July’ thing has really taken off.

Local restaurants and hotels have been quick to jump on the bandwagon, promoting events which offer a traditional (hot) Christmas meal (and bring people through the doors during the colder months). Given Australia has such a multicultural society, with many having ties to Europe or the US, it is easy to see why enjoying a Christmas in the Australian winter has become popular.

Discussing the growing trend with friends, most who partake said it was purely an opportunity to get together in a social setting to celebrate ‘something’ during the dreary months of winter. For them, it has no religious connotations.

“We really just catch up for a soup night in the winter, sometime in July, and we’ve decided to call it our Christmas in July,” one told me.

Another, whose parents emigrated from England back in the 70s, said the family usually attends a Christmas in July event at the local hotel. For his mum and dad, it brings back fond memories of their Christmas traditions growing up.

“It’s definitely about recognising my parents’ heritage and enjoying a meal together,” he said.

While generally considered harmless fun, Professor Clare Johnson, who is director of the Australian Catholic University’s Centre for Liturgy, said it was important not to lose sight of the fact that for Catholics there is only one Christmas celebration – that of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord on December 25.

“Solemnities are the most important of the Church’s commemorations and occur only once a year,” she explained.

“While holding a mid-winter Christmas might feel like a fun way to mark the darkest point of the seasonal year in Australia, duplicating Christmas on a date that bears no historical relation to Christ’s birth and has never been a time of year when Christians celebrate Christ’s nativity, can reduce the importance of the actual Solemnity on December 25.

“If you are looking for an opportunity to hold a Christian mid-winter feast, you could consider making more of the Solemnity of the Nativity St John the Baptist (24 July), which occurs six months prior to Christmas and recalls the birth of the one who heralded the coming of Christ.

“This can be a lovely way to celebrate the promise of the light of Christ during the darkest time of the year, and to anticipate the growing of the light until we celebrate Christ the light at Christmas in six months’ time.”

Definitely food for thought as you consider whether to join these celebrations. I for one will be giving all Christmas in July events a wide berth as I have found that focusing on one faith-filled Christmas each year – and everything associated with it – is more than enough!

Image: Lindy and her family lived through a once-in-100-year blizzard and were snowed in for a week.

We encourage you to share and use this material on your own website. However, when using materials from Majellan Media’s website, please include the following in your citation:  Sourced from www.majellan.media