I know July feels extremely early to talk about anything related to Christmas and while I don’t agree with that take, I do think Christmas in July is the perfect time to consider some Christmas season basics. In this month-long series, I’ll share what The Morrow Home team is envisioning in preparation for our favorite holiday. Then comes the fun part – unveiling three mood boards and designs we’ve created to inspire your 2022 holiday decor aesthetic. Today, we’re talking about one thing you can do right now to get ready for Christmas, in July, that doesn’t involve setting up a single decoration.
First things first, do you ever wonder where Christmas in July even came from? We did and we found out it started at a summer camp in North Carolina where they dedicated July 24 and July 25 to celebrating the holiday. The two days in July were riddled with decorations, presents, fake snow and Santa Claus. Fast forward to 2022 and Christmas fiends like us consider it the perfect way to sprinkle some Christmas magic into the year. We’ll call it a light dusting.
Related: The Real Story Behind Christmas in July Start in North Carolina (Southern Living)
As much as we’d love to pull out the tree and admire it until December (okay, that might be too extreme), we’re holding out a few more months and focusing on one thing instead: holiday budgeting. I’m just not interested in spending a lot of money at once during the Christmas season so I start budgeting for it now. This can be done in a few different ways.
1: Start purchasing 1-2 gifts per month
This step can be hard depending on who you’re purchasing for, especially when you have kids whose interests change practically every day. Or a partner who has 5 months to buy what you were planning to gift them. But, it’s still possible, especially if you think small or large.
What does that even mean? Small can be something as simple as a monogrammed gift like a pair of socks or a monogrammed travel jewelry case. Something large can be tickets to a major 2023 sporting event or a celebratory trip that you can start making arrangements for now. Maybe in July you book the hotel, in August you purchase travel essentials as Christmas gifts–like a new suitcase–and in September you book the flight or even buy airline gift cards.
No matter the scale, July is a great time to start planning and executing your Christmas shopping list.
2: Begin saving for the season
If you’re not up for buying gifts between now and Christmas, start saving for it. Whether you’re saving for gift shopping or saving for the endless events and expenses that come with the season, start stashing funds away. It can be as small as saving a certain amount per month or even per pay period. Think about what activities you and your family or friends like to do during Christmas and earmark how much you will need to have readily available for December.
And if you’re planning to host a holiday party, start saving for that, too! You can also use the next few months to take advantage of summer sales like Amazon Prime Day, end of season sales and Labor Day sales. Keep an eye on discounts on everything from dinnerware and drinkware to even small appliances you might need to prepare food for the Christmas season. I promise, if you get ready for Christmas in July, it will minimize a lot of seasonal stress when Christmas arrives.
3: Think about the aesthetics
Does this sound like you? You bought Christmas decorations with the intention of using them year over year. But, you’re coming up on year 5 of the same decorations so you’re strongly considering buying new decor. It’s possible I’m only describing myself but, regardless, it can’t hurt to start looking at holiday decor inspiration now. Scroll Pinterest to see the endless pretty seasonal looks and find one you want to try this year. By creating your vision early, you’ll be ready to buy what you need when HomeGoods and Target make it snow Christmas in their stores. And that savings account we talked about in bullet 2? You’ll already have a small stash ready by October to start buying what you envisioned.
Related: 9 Amazing Tips for Styling Your Christmas Tablescape
It’s also possible you don’t know what color choices are out there for Christmas besides the typical red, green and gold. But that’s why we’re here. Stay tuned for the rest of our month-long Christmas in July series because we’re sharing Christmas decor inspiration over the next three weeks.
Author: Jenna D Morrow, Principal Designer at The Morrow Home Interior Design
