This time of year marks about halfway to Christmas! Stores are running sales, Hallmark is releasing new movies left and right, and school is only a blink away. Fun fact, you can combine Christmas in July with the back to school events taking place! With minor tweaks here and there, you’ll be able to combine what you’re already doing to prepare for the upcoming school year with a refreshing way to celebrate Jesus! Here are 3 fun ways to celebrate Christmas in July with things you’re already doing with heading back to school.
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Yes, I hear you. You are feeling somewhere in between you’re ready for these kids to go back, but you’ve loved them home all summer. Here is where you can keep the fun memories rolling, and get them excited about school. Win-win! I love having my kids home in the summer, so getting them excited for school is important for them and gets my heart prepared too. Maybe you’ve had a rough summer with finding childcare while meeting deadlines; I hear you too. These e fun ways to celebrate Christmas in July with a back to school theme will help your kids be prepared for the school year, and make it enjoyable for you too.
You may be ready for these kids to get back in school, or you’ve been cherishing every moment and never want it to end! Wherever you are on this spectrum, can honor the Christmas traditions and focus on the big picture of Jesus coming to save us. Something you need to know about me, I love all things Christmas! I’m a firm believer in celebrating the birth of Jesus year round. He came to die on the cross to save us from our sins, and that’s something worth honoring all year long!
Idea #1 Calendars Ready
“Christmas in July” is all the rage, and you hear it frequently, so making July 25th an ideal day to celebrate falls nicely with the Christmas theme and back to school activities. This is the part where you can brainstorm and come up with days to celebrate and focus on Jesus. There are a ton of significant dates coming up for all the back to school festivities, so grab your calendar and pencil in some of these ideas. Here are potential dates:
- July Christmas Eve (24th)
- July Christmas (25th)
- Meet the teacher
- Back to school bash/pep rally
- 12 days til school countdown
- Twas the night before school
- First day of school
Growing up, our parents did a “12 Days til Christmas” gifting to me and my brother each year. It was a fun way to countdown to Christmas, and it was stuff that they were already buying for us anyway, mainly toiletries and snacks. You can easily spin this to a 12 Days til school to build up the anticipation and fun, especially if your kiddos are hesitant or not too pumped to go back. Here’s an example. Take it, tweak it, and have fun!
- 12 sticks of gum
- 11 random folders
- 10 pretty pens
- 9 pink erasers
- 8 count of markers
- 7 Elmer’s glue sticks
- 6 expo markers
- 5 pairs of socks
- 4 sets of mints
- 3 chapsticks
- 2 toothpastes
- and a dinner with the whole family
Tie it back to Jesus
What are your favorite Christmas traditions that involve specific dates? How can you spin those into back to school while still holding Christ at the center? If it’s fun countdowns, great! Read one chapter a day in the book of Luke and you’ll hit a 25 day countdown. Bust out your advent calendar and read scriptures that tell the Christmas story. Grab that school calendar and cross reference it to days you could celebrate.
Idea #2 Back to School Shopping
Get your lists and check them twice! You can use your school supplies list as a way to gift your kids (because you’re already having to buy stuff anyway). Use this as an opportunity to discuss the ultimate gift: salvation. We talk about the birth of Jesus Christ during Christmas, but isn’t it something we should discuss more frequently? Let this season of purchasing serve a higher purpose. Whether it’s supplies, clothes, or stocking up on all the uncrustables and lunchables, let them serve as a reminder of the savior we serve.
Some schools provide a supply box where you pay a flat fee and they get the bulk of the items for you. God bless the supply boxes! We do this whenever it’s available. Typically the items the bulk order don’t provide is all the extra fun stuff anyway. The cute backpack, lunchboxes, water bottle, pencil box, and special pens.
Just like with Christmas shopping for each other, do this with all your back to school shopping. As the items are picked out, leave them wrapped in the bags (or you can get fancy and gift wrap them when you get home). Some places will even gift wrap for you if you ask! Set a date, like July 25th, and open the presents like it’s Christmas! It’s Christmas in July!
If July 25th is way too early for you and all the festivities, set a date and mark your calendars. Let the countdown begin! Your kids will have fun anticipating the present opening day! Here are a few creative ways to take care of those back to school purchases with the fun of opening presents:
- Dollar Tree or Five Below with your kids: Have them each pick out a back to school item to gift each other. This won’t break the bank, and it’ll be something useful. It’s a sweet personal touch from the siblings, and they’ll be reminded of them with each use.
- School Spirit Store: Whether it’s online or your have a brick and mortar shop in your school district, there are so many great options to gift your family members. There will be spirit shirt days at school, and sporting events to attend. You’ll be getting these anyway, so might as well make it a fun gift!
- Supply Shop Date: Go as a family or get some special one on one time with each kid. Have fun picking out those items not covered in the supply box. Grab those cute pens, Spiderman lunch box, and fun laptop stickers.
- Fashion Show Time: Head to your favorite clothing store for you kids, and let them pick out an outfit or two (whatever fits your budget). Have them all head to the dressing rooms at the same time and host a little runway show for the kids to model their clothes.
Tie it back to Jesus
Don’t miss this part! Otherwise, we’ve missed the mark on tying this back to Jesus. Reflect on why you give gifts to each other during the holiday season. Bring those reasons back into focus and reiterate that celebrating the birth of Jesus is a way to show gratitude for His ultimate sacrifice. He died on the cross to save us from our sins, and salvation is the best gift we can ever receive.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
Idea #3 Christmas Party
Now who doesn’t love a good Christmas party?! Part of growing in your faith is spending quality time in community with other believers. This is a fun opportunity to gather together and have a themed party. This can be as big or as small as you want. There are plenty of summertime Christmas clothes and decor that you can find on Amazon. Or, you can throw on a Santa hat and put on some red and green. Again, don’t make it more than you want to handle. It’s safe to say, your life group is going to have fun with Christmas in July no matter how you do it.
Decoration and Outfit Ideas
- Can you reach a box of decorations? Grab the closest one you can reach and just roll with it.
- Ask each family to bring a something that resembles a Christmas tree and have your own tree farm filled with a random assortment that is sure to get y’all laughing.
- Wear your red and green, or if you can get out your holiday clothes, even better!
- What’s uglier than an ugly Christmas sweater? One with the sleeves cut off to make a tank. Ew, but it works and will be hilarious.
- If you’re a painting nails type, time to get festive!
Food and Drink ideas
- Pizza is always a crowd pleaser, plus it’s in Home Alone; therefore, Christmas!
- Is there a special recipe that you only make during the holidays? We have a special family recipe that’s chocolate pie, and we only have it during the holidays. I think it’s time we have that more than once a year!
- Grinch punch, which is basically sprite and lime sherbet. The kids will love it! It’s easily tweakable too. Also I pronounce it “sher-bert” because I’m Texan. Love meeee.
- I’m a year round hot chocolate kind of girl, so I’d be using my crockpot hot chocolate recipe
- Ask your friends if they have a holiday food or drink they’d like to bring. Have fun trying each others’ family recipes.
Tie it back to Jesus
Anytime we are in Biblical fellowship, it gives exponentially great odds that conversations will revolve around God and our spiritual walk. Pray over your time together and that God sparks good chats between close friends that draw us near to Him. You pray beforehand, before a meal together, or however the night goes.
Episode #302 Recap
The ball is in your court now! You’ve got 3 fun ways to celebrate Christmas in July with a back to school theme with things you’re already doing. Here’s what we covered today:
- Idea #1 Set the Date with Your Calendar
- Idea #2 Back to School Shopping & Gifting
- Idea #3 Christmas in July Back to School Bash
Now go have some fun while you get to reflect upon the reminder about the birth of Jesus. Enjoy making memories and tying it all back to the gift of salvation through Christ.
Links from the Show
