“Christmas in July” has become a cultural staple over the years. The first mention of Christmas in July stems from Werther, an 1892 French opera by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet, and Georges Hartmann. In 1894, an English translation had a group of children rehearsing Christmas songs in July. A character says “When you sing Christmas in July, you rush the season,” which created the phrase.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it is celebrated so countries experiencing winter weather can have a Christmas celebration in line with the weather of the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas in July is celebrated mostly to be ironic. People throw parties similar to the ones they would have in December, complete with Santa Claus, gifts and reindeer, all with a summertime backdrop. The Hallmark Channel even runs a block of their Christmas movies in July.
Back in March, The New York Times reported that people around the country were putting up Christmas decorations to lift people’s spirits during the coronavirus quarantine. Now that it is “Christmas in July,” we at BOCA wanted to share what we are doing to keep our spirits up during coronavirus and social distancing.
“I have been bonding a lot with my parents through the activity of fishing. We began watching lots of YouTube videos together to learn how to tie specific knots and how to target specific species of fish. It has been a relaxing activity and has given me a greater appreciation for eating seafood.” – Anthony Lam, Senior Account Executive
“I have been experimenting with new recipes every week to keep things interesting. Some favorites so far include orange chicken, summer pastas and shaking beef!” – Laura Groshans, Account Coordinator
“Trying to work out regularly, whether in my home office or our building courtyard. Working on personal research and writing projects when I have time and getting outside on walks/hikes whenever possible, even if just to get a beer to go at the bar down the street.” – Erik Fowle, Content Strategist
“I’ve been knitting, drinking wine, and Zooming with friends and family — sometimes all at the same time!” – Wendy Brittain, HR Director
“I started making gemstone bead bracelets. I wanted to do something creative and have always loved wearing bracelet stacks, so why not create my own? It’s been really fun making bracelets and shipping them to my friends and family around the country. I call them my adult friendship bracelets.” – Gabby Iarrobino, Senior Digital Strategist
“Now that summer is here, we have taken a few camping trips. Lots of arts and crafts to keep the kids busy. Cooking/trying new recipes — my favorite so far was the ribs I made in the Instant Pot for 4th of July (easiest recipe ever and meat falls off the bone!).” – Jenn Zimmer, Account Supervisor
“We also have been trying out new food recipes, and every few weeks we have also been trying new cocktail recipes. We’ve been mainly using gin, figuring it’s a nice summer spirit. So far some of our favorites have been the Strawberry Basil Gin cocktail and Rosemary Grapefruit Gin cocktail. Give them a try!” – Diego Vasquez, Content Strategist
