2000 Posts By Christmas 2012

[Jolly O'Leary]

http://www.examiner.com/article/10-ways ... anta-claus

I have a distant relative (by marraige a couple of times removed) that lives here. What a great place to have a Christmas in July vacation. Definitely on my bucket list!

[Jolly O'Leary]

Red chocolate chips?

Christmas in July started out for us just as a bit of fun and a way to take our minds off of the July heat. But, in recent years, we have also tried to make it a spiritual time focusing on the birth of our saviour without all the hubbub of december shopping, etc. Last year I found a couple of really good links, but they seem to have disappeared from the net. This year, I fine more and more churches and ministries are taking up the Christmas in July mantle. I found this site with spiritual devotions for the week:

http://bethesdalutherancommunities.org/ ... doc?id=481

I have not actually read all of them, but they seem good. A nice reminder especially since we have so recently celebrated the Birth of John the Baptist at Midsummer.

[Noel+]

Yes, I watch QVC's Christmas in July every year since day 1! This year its a weekend which is just perfect. HSN has their Christmas programs the week before QVC and ShopNBC usually has theirs the day before QVC.

Just love all the Christmas music, decorations, gift ideas and food! I usually order a box of Cheryl's Christmas cookies for December as a gift.

Christmas in July is soooooooo close!

[Noel+]

Red chocolate chips?

Christmas in July started out for us just as a bit of fun and a way to take our minds off of the July heat. But, in recent years, we have also tried to make it a spiritual time focusing on the birth of our saviour without all the hubbub of december shopping, etc. Last year I found a couple of really good links, but they seem to have disappeared from the net. This year, I fine more and more churches and ministries are taking up the Christmas in July mantle. I found this site with spiritual devotions for the week:

http://bethesdalutherancommunities.org/ ... doc?id=481

I have not actually read all of them, but they seem good. A nice reminder especially since we have so recently celebrated the Birth of John the Baptist at Midsummer.

Yes, real chocolate chips BUT you could substitute with raspberry chips to get the red color.

Oh, thanks for the link! I'm always looking for 'fresh' devotions to recenter our focus on the Lord. I have to make the time for Him to be the priority and just let the other things go on my to do list. Otherwise, I miss the whole point of the day!

[Jolly O'Leary]

Yes, I watch QVC's Christmas in July every year since day 1! This year its a weekend which is just perfect. HSN has their Christmas programs the week before QVC and ShopNBC usually has theirs the day before QVC.

Just love all the Christmas music, decorations, gift ideas and food! I usually order a box of Cheryl's Christmas cookies for December as a gift.

Christmas in July is soooooooo close!

I can see why, they probably get a bigger audience on the weekends. But I know people who look forward to taking a few days vacation as an "excuse" to stay in those days and watch. They are saying "rats, have to go to work...." LOL I have not tried to pick up the others online, but I can see. That reminds me, I have to order the starfish for the top of the Christmas in July "hawaiian" mini tree.

[Noel+]

Yes, I'm one of those who used to take vacation days every July 25 to watch QVC all day and enjoy our celebration. Now, of course that isn't an option but we'll celebrate Christmas in July anyway!

[Jolly O'Leary]

Yes, I'm one of those who used to take vacation days every July 25 to watch QVC all day and enjoy our celebration. Now, of course that isn't an option but we'll celebrate Christmas in July anyway!

I do not know what year QVC started Christmas in July, but I was a church admin by the time I found it. That week is almost always our Vacation Bible School so I was never able to take the whole day off, but I watched when I got home and over night when I could not sleep.

Had a nice Christmas in July surprise today! Sweden has a type of marshmallow candy called Julskum (christmas gum, but it is not "gum" as Americans know it). Hubby says "skum" is "foam" in swedish, so it is sort of spongy. Today, We found "Juliskum" as in July gum in the store today and it has Santa with a beach ball on the packaging. Needless to say, we bought two. One for now, one for next week.
Here is the company website so you can at least see a picture:

http://www.plopp.se/sv/Vara-varumarken/ ... iskum.aspx

[Jolly O'Leary]

I am starting to think about the Christmas in July menu. In the past we have taken a budget cruise over the 24-25 and had the dinner buffet (very similar to swedish christmas buffet) on the ship and then had our at home celebration on Saturday of that week. This year, hubby returns to work on the July 23, and we are possibly taking the budget cruise the weekend afterwards, so...what to cook......

What are my other Christmas friends planning?
In the US, I made Hawaiian haystacks alot. (our Christmas in July theme is hawaiian). But in Sweden, we do not have cream of "anything" soup so I have to make the soup ahead and then make the sauce for the haystacks. I am wondering if I can combine the process and just cook once?? Rotissiere chickens are actually the same price as the uncooked ones. Cold ham with salads is another option. I think last year I made pork chops. I try not to use the oven in July. We are thinking an ice cream pie for dessert.

[Noel+]

I am starting to think about the Christmas in July menu. In the past we have taken a budget cruise over the 24-25 and had the dinner buffet (very similar to swedish christmas buffet) on the ship and then had our at home celebration on Saturday of that week. This year, hubby returns to work on the July 23, and we are possibly taking the budget cruise the weekend afterwards, so...what to cook......

What are my other Christmas friends planning?
In the US, I made Hawaiian haystacks alot. (our Christmas in July theme is hawaiian). But in Sweden, we do not have cream of "anything" soup so I have to make the soup ahead and then make the sauce for the haystacks. I am wondering if I can combine the process and just cook once?? Rotissiere chickens are actually the same price as the uncooked ones. Cold ham with salads is another option. I think last year I made pork chops. I try not to use the oven in July. We are thinking an ice cream pie for dessert.

Good for you! I'm changing my mind about my menu for Christmas in July.......again! I think we're having spiral ham now, and a new dessert!

[Jolly O'Leary]

I am starting to think about the Christmas in July menu. chops. I try not to use the oven in July. We are thinking an ice cream pie for dessert.

Good for you! I'm changing my mind about my menu for Christmas in July.......again! I think we're having spiral ham now, and a new dessert!

We finalized the menu last night. Hawaiian meatballs, rice, tropical slaw, and melon, with some kind of frozen pie for dessert.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Hawaiian-Meatballs
I do not have a crock pot (slow cooker in europe), but I think we can adapt a stove top version easily. Meatballs are very swedish, we have frozen ones we made ourselves left over from Christmas and this gives them a hawaiian twist.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Tropical-Slaw
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Frozen-Hawaiian-Pie

I am not sure how the Christmas in July Hawaiian theme got started, but it stuck. I guess we were thinking where is Christmas celebrated in the tropics. It is fun to try new recipes with as little cooking as possible. Something tells me that if the meatball recipe turns out well, it might go into our regular dinner rotation. I do not think we will have a any bread, but in San Antonio at least, you can buy hawaiian bread off the shelf. I miss that.

[Jolly O'Leary]

http://www.thepeopleschurch.com/Portals ... Portal.pdf

Something else that popped up on my Christmas in July web search. This church not only has Christmas in July, they have an "advent in july" service on July 22. They have both their bulletins and sermons online which is something that is always helpful to "virtual worshippers". Now hubby is saying we need Lucia in July on July 13. LOL Not sure about that as it is only a few days away and we already have a Bastille Day celebration planned for the 14th. Yes, we are weird. :-)

[Noel+]

Christmas movies this weekend on the Hallmark channel! They're calling it Christmas Classics and here's the schedule!

Christmas Classics Weekend
Watch holiday movies all weekend long, July 14-15!

Saturday, July 14
6a/5c: Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle
8a/7c: Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle
10a/9c: The Town Christmas Forgot
12/11c: Annie Claus is Coming to Town
2/1c: Christmas Magic
4/3c: Mistletoe Over Manhattan
6/5c: Holiday Engagement
8/7c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
10/9c: A Princess for Christmas

Sunday, July 15
12a/11c: Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle
2a/3c: Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle
4a/3c: Christmas Magic
6a/5c: The Town Christmas Forgot
8a/7c: The Night Before the Night Before Christmas
10a/9c: Mistletoe Over Manhattan
12/11c: Holiday Engagement
2/1c: A Princess for Christmas
4/3c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
6/5c: Moonlight & Mistletoe
8/7c: The Christmas Card

My family is going to have popcorn, snacks and watch both days. Christmas in July - yay!

[Christmas Crazy]

http://www.thepeopleschurch.com/Portals/0/Portals/2012/July12Portal.pdf

Something else that popped up on my Christmas in July web search. This church not only has Christmas in July, they have an "advent in july" service on July 22. They have both their bulletins and sermons online which is something that is always helpful to "virtual worshippers". Now hubby is saying we need Lucia in July on July 13. LOL Not sure about that as it is only a few days away and we already have a Bastille Day celebration planned for the 14th. Yes, we are weird. :-)

Wow Jennifer, sounds like you all are going to have a great Christmas in July. I'm jealous.

[Christmas Crazy]

Christmas movies this weekend on the Hallmark channel! They're calling it Christmas Classics and here's the schedule!

Christmas Classics Weekend
Watch holiday movies all weekend long, July 14-15!

Saturday, July 14
6a/5c: Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle
8a/7c: Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle
10a/9c: The Town Christmas Forgot
12/11c: Annie Claus is Coming to Town
2/1c: Christmas Magic
4/3c: Mistletoe Over Manhattan
6/5c: Holiday Engagement
8/7c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
10/9c: A Princess for Christmas

Sunday, July 15
12a/11c: Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle
2a/3c: Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle
4a/3c: Christmas Magic
6a/5c: The Town Christmas Forgot
8a/7c: The Night Before the Night Before Christmas
10a/9c: Mistletoe Over Manhattan
12/11c: Holiday Engagement
2/1c: A Princess for Christmas
4/3c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
6/5c: Moonlight & Mistletoe
8/7c: The Christmas Card

My family is going to have popcorn, snacks and watch both days. Christmas in July - yay!

Thanks Noel! I will definitely be watching as many of these Christmas "classics" as I can this weekend.

[Jolly O'Leary]

Thanks Noel for posting. Sadly Hallmark has cancelled its scandinavian feed but I will see what we have recorded and on DVD! Moonlight and Mistletoe, Christmas Town and Off Season are 3 of our favoriate Christmas in July movies!

[Noel+]

You're very welcome! I love the Debbie Macomber movies too. I plan on being totally lazy as possible and enjoying movies each day. Hope you find Christmas dvds to view this weekend!

[Jolly O'Leary]

You're very welcome! I love the Debbie Macomber movies too. I plan on being totally lazy as possible and enjoying movies each day. Hope you find Christmas dvds to view this weekend!

Thanks! The movie I really want to see is Christmas in Paradise. The one where they are on a cruise ship. So far no luck. I found online sources for alot of the others. The summer temps are supposed to soar between now and Christmas in July so we will put off taking the cruise. It is no fun if the dining room and cabins are sweltering.

[Noel+]

Hi Christmas Crazy - enjoy the movies!

And good luck finding yourChristmas dvds Jennifer!

Ya'll try to stay cool in this crazy heat!

[Jolly O'Leary]

Happy Friday the 13th!

So, do any of my christmas friends put up your full size tree for Christmas in July? When do you put it up? How long do you leave it up? Last year we thought about putting up the regular tree, but it was too hot. This year, we left the little kitchen tree out. It lives behind the wine rack on the freezer and I got some cheap "shell" garland, mini hawaiian ornaments and the hopefully arriving soon starfish for the top. It is just the right size to put on the kitchen table. Other than that, I leave out a bag of garland and the Christmas kitten flag I got this year. Just a few touches that do not take long to put up and take down in the July heat.

[Noel+]

One Christmas in July, about 5 years ago, I did put up our 7.5 ft tree. I completely decorated the tree and was exhausted. AND 2 days later it was time to take it down again!

So.......since then........I decorate the front of the house sans tree. I do purchase little gift for each person and fix a compelte Christmas meal. The battery operated candles are all glowing too!

Tomorrow we'll be watching the Classic Christmas flicks on Hallmark!