Christmas 2: Christmas in July :::SNEAK PREVIEW:::

We are now a few days away from the second Christmas 2: Christmas in July (CH2) and the excitement is building. I'll go over what you should expect if you decide to hold your own Christmas 2: Christmas in July or will be stopping by the house. I will also hit on some of the improvements/changes I have made from last year.

            At the most basic level CH2 is a color coordinated Christmas themed Secret Santa party with a potluck component. I may not be a celebrity, but I am asking everyone to come dressed in Christmas colors: red, green, gold, silver, white etc. It adds just another layer to the fun. The secret Santa was the toughest part of the event to coordinate. Santa told me that it was a bit rough figuring out the giver/receiver list. 90% of the guests are giving to someone they actually know. I love the novelty of holding this event in July (I’ve stated in the past that I borrowed this idea from SantaClaus: The Movie). Even though we are in the middle of summer I decorate the house in a Christmas style.  My main tree is up, and I have 2 additional trees to place around the gathering spaces. I’ll also be adding holiday music for some aural decoration. I decided to run this as a potluck to differentiate it from Thanksgiving 2 (which I cater) because I think this makes it feel more like a family style gathering. I do give the guests directions/suggestions for what kind of foods to bring. I do not want 17 desserts and 3 main dishes.Overall, CH2 is a relatively simple event to plan, but much planning makes removes a lot of the difficulty. If it was too easy it might not be as fun in the end.

Last year was the very first CH2 and since then I’ve seen a few places where I can improve and add more holiday cheer. I’ve talked about the addition of music to the gathering areas in previous posts and I have decided to go with the "laptop stereo" option. It’s the easiest and doesn’t require me to buy anything new. On a decoration note, I had an epiphany 2 weeks ago when I found a place that sells Christmas stockings all year. I picked up a stocking for each guest and I have been putting the names of the guests on to each one with silver glitter. I will be hanging them up in either the kitchen or around the back porch near the ceiling. Hopefully, this is as neat to the guests as it is to me. The final new addition is lifted right from “A Christmas Story”. I am going to have someone play “Santa Claus” and hand out the gifts in the same way that Ralphie distributes the gifts at the end of the movie. I think the novelty will be a nice touch. Hopefully I can continue to add small improvements each year until I get this gathering closer to perfect. 

On a personal note I am having a lot of overtime this week. It is making this a bit rougher than it should be. Wish me luck and I hope you enjoy your own Christmas2 :Christmas in July event!