since i've been gone

i haven't stopped thinking about christmas but i have had a difficult week of sorts. moving on!

it's monday and i was able to get over to hallmark for their christmas in july ornament premiere on saturday. i bought the ornaments on my wish list. there are more to be released in the coming months, which is very exciting.

they also had some peanuts halloween ornaments and i just fell in love with them. i am setting aside some money to buy them.

i cannot wait for summer to be over and i am glad i have tropical-colored paper snowflakes to keep me satisfied for christmas in july!

top ten tuesday

here are my top ten christmas songs... what are yours?

10. rudolph the red nosed reindeer

9. jingle bells

8. mele kalikimaka

7. white christmas

6. the christmas song (have yourself a merry little christmas)

5. let it snow! let it snow! let it snow!

4. holly jolly christmas

3. silent night

2. the most wonderful time of the year

1. mary did you know?

christmas planning

it's just about this time of year that i start finalizing my christmas plans.

where are we spending the holidays?
what is our gift budget?
what kinds of gifts do i need to make?
what kinds of gifts do i want to buy?
how long is my christmas card list this year?
are there things i need to plan ahead (hotel, flights, etc)?

so tonight i will turn up the air conditioning in my home and start making christmas plans.

and *finally* get around to hanging up those tropical colored paper snowflakes that gave me a carpal tunnel syndrome flare-up!

merry 4th of july!

for us americans, it is our country's birthday.

bless us all!

chocolate cupcakes

last night i did some baking - baking is an event i usually reserve for the holidays seasons in the autumn and winter.

i made some chocolate cupcakes with pamela's gluten free chocolate cake baking mix. it is truly the best if you are looking for a great cake mix. i topped it with a festive white vanilla frosting and added patriotic sprinkles - red, white, and blue stars!

it's fun to celebrate with food. i may just be making chocolate cupcakes for my holiday baking as well - what a success!

the sandman

not much to write today but in keeping with the christmas in july theme... i present to you, the sandman!

the first day of christmas in july

so, what exactly is christmas in july?

now that we have passed the halfway mark to the christmas holiday and the christmas season altogether, we can start preparing - whether that be financially, spiritually, or otherwise - for whatever the holiday season means for us.

it's also a celebration for those of us that abhor the hot weather, if where we live is in the summer right now. however, for those in the southern hemisphere of the earth, christmas in july is when christmas might actually feel like christmas.

christmas in july is whatever you want it to be! i welcome your ideas as we celebrate christmas in july here on the blog.

from wikipedia:

In Western culture, Christmas occurs on December 25. Christmas is generally about gift-giving and holiday cheer. Christmas in July celebrations may be held in July to provide a second joyful celebration in the year.

In the southern hemisphere, Christmas in July is the name given to social events with a winter Christmas theme, as July is generally the coldest month of the year.

In the northern hemisphere during the summer months the weather becomes increasingly warm and many people crave the atmosphere of cooler temperatures, gift giving and holiday spirit. To satisfy this, some people throw parties during the month of July that mimic the holiday of Christmas. The features of Christmas in July include Santa Claus, ice cream and other cold foods and gifts.

The earliest known occasion to make the phrase Christmas in July literal was in July 1933 at Camp Keystone, a girl's summer camp in North Carolina, which celebrated with a Christmas tree, gifts, and a visit by Santa Claus. In 1935, the National Recreation Association's journal Recreation described what a Christmas in July was like at a girl's camp, writing that "all mystery and wonder surround this annual event."

In 1942, the Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., celebrated Christmas in July with carols and the sermon "Christmas Presents in July". They repeated it in 1943, with a Christmas tree covered with donations. The pastor explained that the special service was patterned after a program held each summer at his former church in Philadelphia, when the congregation would present Christmas gifts early to give ample time for their distribution to missions worldwide. It became an annual event, and in 1946 the service began to be broadcast over local radio.

The U.S. Post Office and U.S. Army and Navy officials, in conjunction with the American advertising and greeting card industries, threw a Christmas in July luncheon in New York in 1944 to promote an Early Christmas Mailing Campaign for service men and women overseas during World War II. The luncheon was repeated in 1945.

Midwinter 'Christmas' or Yulefest is an unofficial Midwinter/Yuletide related celebration followed by some families, mainly those with a English or European background in Australia and New Zealand during the wintertime (which in the Southern Hemisphere falls into the June-July-August period). There is no official holiday, and the date of observance varies from place to place and even family to family, though it is often around the time of the shortest day or winter solstice, which in the Southern Hemisphere is June 20 or 21.While having little connection with the actual Christmas holiday, it is occasionally an occasion for work functions or similar events celebrating Yuletide traditions in wintry conditions.

McMurdo Station in Antarctica celebrates Christmas in July, as well as in December. Its origins there appear to be how deliveries were made. July is in the middle of winter in Antarctica; high winds and ice once made it too dangerous for planes to land with supplies. Instead, planes parachuted deliveries (such as food and mail) to the ice. The sudden arrival of presents from the sky in July reminded some people of a "visit from Santa."

[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July]