Skip to main content

Christmas Firsts #15 : Christmas in July



"Christmas in July"  has been recorded as isolated events in the 1930’s in USA , but  with the release of the comedy, Christmas in  July in 1940, the concept began to become popular. 
I understand a lot more why Christmas in July as a concept is popular  in Australia in the southern hemisphere rather than in the northern hemisphere. To capture some of the magic of ‘white” Christmas, mid-winter seems the perfect time to enjoy many of the traditional Christmas festivities.

 Christmas in July has become tradition down under. The story of the FIRST July Christmas in Australia is about some Irish visitors to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. They saw a snowfall in July, 1977. That's not out of the ordinary for mountains in the Southern Hemisphere, but the tourists were reminded of Christmas out of season. They requested a traditional Christmas dinner from their hotel, which they enjoyed so much they returned the following July. The celebration of Christmas in July was repeated in the Blue Mountain region, NSW,  as a tourist draw card, but locals loved it, too. The practice has of course spread to the rest of Australia but the “Yulefest in the Blue Mountains “ in July is renowned or recreating a traditional Christmas of the northern hemisphere.
The magical winter time (June, July and August) is Yulefest in the Blue Mountains where many venues offer traditional Xmas style celebrations. While cold winds blow and the occasional snow falls, experience warm 'Mountains' hospitality, log fires, Xmas fare, singalongs and perhaps even Santa. The Blue Mountains is truly a 'Winter Wonderland'.

Christmas in July is not a holiday, and it would appear that the celebrations are generated by businesses mainly in the hospitality sector to  boost and create a new market for their services. The real Christmas is still celebrated on 25 December no matter what! 
I found it interesting that when we have had exchange students from European countries, they found the whole idea of Christmas in July bewildering and even quite unacceptable!  I must admit with a birthday at the same time, I quite like to celebrate it with a hot Christmas dinner! And if the goodwill and peace of Christmas can occur at other times of the year, can that be so bad? 



http://mentalfloss.com/article/29484/christmas-australia
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

The Making of a Matriarch

Matriarch? Definitions of ‘matriarch” don’t differ much, but the following one suits my purpose …. A matriarch is a willing protector, a nurturer, and a leader of her family and community. She is a role model, particularly for women, and a fierce advocate for causes close to her heart. She is empowered and makes it her job to empower others. She is open-minded and utilizes her wisdom for the good of all.   ( from https://medium.com › a-matriarch-in-the-making-52b42)   The debate whether a matriarch is the exact opposite of patriarch delves deeper into power relationships and the established   dominance of gender in governing bodies.   I   will not be subscribing to that serious debate in this blog as I just wanted to make an art doll which has a story. The Matriarch I created is an amalgam of European and First Nations concepts of matriarchs: Guardian   of Nature Protector of Environment Healer and Nurturer Cultural Keeper Decision Maker...
Post a Comment
Read more

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes  - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary.   Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's  Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers).  This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach.    Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...
3 comments
Read more