Christmas in July - five months to get your holiday crafts and gifts made

I hear the phrase "Christmas in July" every year, but I've never really understood it...is it really celebrated like a holiday? Do people decorate and share gifts this month like they do in December? Or is this a marketing ploy, created by retailers to sell stuff during a slow time of year? I'm not sure where or how Christmas in July got started (but I am willing to bet a quick Google search would provide the answer).

One of the things that Christmas in July does for me is act as a reminder that the December holiday is right around the corner. It signals an urge in me to start buying gifts, while things are on sale! For many, its the time of year to start crafting all of your holiday decor or hand-made presents. If you fall into the latter group, you have 5 months to get cracking!

I'm drawn to making small gifts that show a person's love for something - like gift baskets filled with flavored coffees, mugs, tea towels, and other little baked goodies, like the one below.

Jenny Steffens

This year, I'll probably paint small wooden items in my shabby style and give those as gifts to my mother-in-law and other people I know who will like them. Picture frames come to mind. Like these I did a few months ago - I gave these as teacher gifts.

I'm also very tempted to make some of the items from a new book called Christmas Crafts Scandinavian Style. These nordic-inspired items are so whimsically beautiful - rustic, delicate, simple. I love them! I especially love the dolls. And another thing I love about the projects in this book is that many of them are made in fabrics that are not your typical Christmas colors - like brown, blue, etc. I love using twine and raffia - and these projects use a lot of it!

Stackpole Books

So, to finish off this post, I thought I'd surf Pinterest for other holiday-inspired gems, to whet your whistle:

Fiskars

Oh goodness, here's a decor project right up my alley - a distressed frame and paper-crafting put together to make an Advent Calendar! LOVE this!

Southern Living

This holiday table display jumped off the screen and shouted, "copy me exactly!!"  Kidding - but not really. I will be on the hunt for a pretty old window like this to use this holiday on my distressed red hall table!

Better Homes and Gardens

Ooh, imagine crafting a whole bunch of these pretty ornaments using the pages of my old Reader's Digest books! I think I just discovered another use for those babies!

Better Homes and Gardens

I struggle some years, wanting to hang something on the front door at the holidays that isn't your typical green wreath. It should remind us of the holiday of course, but I prefer it to seasonal, so that when 12/26 rolls around, I don't have to yank it off the door right away. This door hanging of winter mittens is so darn perfect - it "chills me" that I didn't think of it first! And I tend to buy warm, snuggly mittens like its my job, so I'm bound to have a pair I can part with for the door.

I could easily browse Pinterest all day looking at the ingenious craft ideas. Especially the beautiful, classic and cutesy holiday stuff. Couldn't you? Just don't take all day - because remember, it's July - and Santa Clause will be coming down your chimney in a few, short months.