Christmas in July

Who says that you can only celebrate Christmas once a year? If you venture into Worthington Hills (our fantastic neighborhood) mid-summer, you’ll quickly learn that this is not the case. Every July (for almost 10 years now), my husband and I have thrown the BEST Christmas in July party. This party is no joke – we go ALL out, and I will admit that the festivities have become even better since our kiddos have come along.

Since the spirit of Christmas is all about giving, we host this as an annual fundraiser for a local organization, The Huckleberry House, a youth-focused non-profit. We provide all the food and beverages – we just ask that our guests bring a donation for the youth that this organization supports. This year, we are proud to share that we raised over $1000 – and we still have some additional donations trickling in!

At this July’s party, we were lucky to secure Local Cantina as our caterer – and they generously offered us a lower price since we were supporting a local non-profit – kudos to them! Our family and friends loved the build-your-own taco bar – and of course, the considerable assortment of holiday beverages that we supplied (it’s not Christmas without some Great Lakes Christmas Ale, right?). I also threw together (literally, it was just that easy) a Basil Vodka Lemonade to cool everyone off from the summer heat. I couldn’t keep the pitcher full of it – and we ended up going through three batches!

It also isn’t Christmas without some sweet treats – and our Holiday Cookie Contest added a little competition to the party, but also provided guests with a pretty impressive spread of some holiday staples – think sugar cookies, peanut blossoms, cheesecake – the list goes on and on.

Kudos to our winner who made Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies (similar recipe here) and went home with the perfect prize, a holiday ornament crafted by L.B. Bear Christmas Ornaments.

Decorations are also key, and we took the party to the next level with some large inflatables, red and green spotlights and twinkling Christmas trees topped off with some classic Christmas music playing throughout the yard.

Since we encouraged everyone to dress for the occasion, our house was certainly a sight to see for anyone taking a casual drive through the neighborhood.

Overall, it was a smashing success – and we already have guests asking when we are planning to host next year. Our kiddos loved it, especially since we celebrated our own family “Christmas Eve” complete with leaving cookies and milk out for Santa (and some tomatoes for the reindeer since I forgot to buy celery). And you better believe that they woke up the next morning to a few (sort of) presents under the tree… 😊.