Christmas in July 2026: Our Favorite Ways to Celebrate When It's 90 Degrees Out

Somewhere around the first week of July it happens. The pool towels are still drying on the porch rail, the grill is barely cool from the Fourth, and I catch myself humming Sleigh Ride like it is the most natural thing in the world. If that sounds familiar, welcome. You are among friends here.

Christmas in July is real, it has a better origin story than most people realize, and it might be the best excuse all year to let a little December sneak into summer. The tradition goes back to a girls' summer camp in North Carolina in 1933, complete with a tree, presents, and fake snow in the middle of a heat wave. We covered the full story in our history of Christmas in July if you want to go deeper.

So what does celebrating actually look like when it is 90 degrees outside? At our house it starts with the thermostat and a movie. Crank the AC until you can justify a blanket, pour something cold, and put on the cheesiest holiday movie you can find. Bonus points if someone in the room groans when the big city executive falls for the small town tree farmer. That groan is part of the tradition too.

Then there is the food. July is secretly the perfect month for a practice run of your December menu. Test the cookie recipe. Attempt the roast. And if you have ever wondered why fruitcake refuses to die as a tradition, the history there is stranger and sweeter than you would expect.

July is also when smart Christmas people get ahead. Pull the lights out of the garage and plug them in now, while a burned out strand is a shrug instead of a crisis. While you are at it, settle the great question once and for all: white lights or colored lights? We have opinions.

And yes, the gift list. Starting in July spreads the budget across five months instead of five panicked days, and future you will be grateful every time a package shows up early. We keep our Products and Deals page stocked with finds we actually like, and our Amazon storefront is always open if you want to browse the whole collection.

Wondering what the big guy is up to right now? We looked into that too. Santa's July apparently involves sunscreen, sleigh maintenance, and quality time with the reindeer.

However you celebrate, we are glad you are here. Our Facebook community keeps the spirit alive all summer long, the Yuletide Chronicles podcast is waiting in your feed, and there is plenty more coming this year. Around here Christmas is a year-round habit, and July might be our favorite month to prove it.

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