Christmas in July

SatNavSaysStraightOn

SatNavSaysStraightOn

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Yep, I know its odd, but for some reason, in Australia there is a 'tradition' of celebrating Christmas in July and it is called "Christmas in July". It is now July and fast approaching the middle of winter and time to celebrate!

Don't believe me?
http://www.qcc.nsw.gov.au/Community/Events/Christmas-in-July-markets/Christmas-in-July-markets

Personally I think it is just another excuse to be able to get out and celebrate, but it does mean that the Christmas pudding we didn't eat back in December can be dragged out from the back for the fridge and cooked...

Someone had commented in another thread that they associate Rosemary with pine needles which got me thinking because I don't associate rosemary with pine needles in smell/shape or anything else.

So I was wondering what one spice smell you associate with Christmas?

I think it is probably cloves or cinnamon but then I only ever use allspice in my Christmas cake, so I am at a loss...
 
Here Christmas in July used to be for helping others but I haven't heard the advertisement for it in a few years.
Cinnamon the spice, not Cinnamon the dog.
 
We don't have Christmas neither in July nor December.

Although there has recently been a tendency for the vultures to try and exploit the masses by selling cards and decorations in December. My wife actually decorated our plastic tree (bought in Malaysia) last year.
 
@SatNavSaysStraightOn

Yes, I am aware. I have a couple of Italian Chef friends in Australia.

Aromas of Christmas:

Chocolate / Gingerbread Houses / Cinammon / Apple Lattice Pie in Oven / Orange Spice Tart - Prepared with grated zest, cloves, allspice & cinammon ..

Almost all the aromas that come from the special dishes one prepares during this time ..

Fresh Fish & Shellfish is standard fare for most Mediterraneans on 24th December .. The aromas of Lemon ..

And of course the aromas of a fine wine and Champagne or Cava ..

Have a lovely Christmas in July Holiday ..
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
...So I was wondering what one spice smell you associate with Christmas?...
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Nutmeg. Whenever I grate some during non-Christmastime, it makes me think of Christmas. Cinnamon and cloves probably run a close second. Well, cinnamon. Cloves are more for Thanksgiving since I use them in my pumpkin pie.

"Christmas in July" used to be a "thing" when I was working for a home-based "party plan" needlework kit company. We would bring out our Christmas catalog and do a big push by promoting the kits. The idea was to work on your needlework piece(s) during the rest of the summer and fall so you could display it for the holidays or give it as a gift. I'm still working on the tree skirt I started in 1984...
 
As said above, I think it's the combination of the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and orange smell that immediately brings Christmas to mind.

In fact, last night, as I opened the wrapping of the fruit cake I've made for my son's wedding (to feed it with brandy) I was immediately distracted by the thoughts of Christmas!
 
Lynne Guinne said:
Nutmeg. Whenever I grate some during non-Christmastime, it makes me think of Christmas. Cinnamon and cloves probably run a close second. Well, cinnamon. Cloves are more for Thanksgiving since I use them in my pumpkin pie.

"Christmas in July" used to be a "thing" when I was working for a home-based "party plan" needlework kit company. We would bring out our Christmas catalog and do a big push by promoting the kits. The idea was to work on your needlework piece(s) during the rest of the summer and fall so you could display it for the holidays or give it as a gift. I'm still working on the tree skirt I started in 1984...
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You just made me feel good. Angel of Grace has only been ongoing for a decade and the Coca-Cola Santa for 3 years.
 
@Cinisajoy, "...still working..." was just an expression. I haven't actually touched that piece of stitchery since, probably, 1984! :laugh: It's candlewicking, and back when my fingers were still good I preferred working on counted cross stitch. Now THOSE projects got finished, but not a lot of the samples I started while doing the home party stitchery kits.
 
Lynne Guinne said:
@Cinisajoy, "...still working..." was just an expression. I haven't actually touched that piece of stitchery since, probably, 1984! :laugh: It's candlewicking, and back when my fingers were still good I preferred working on counted cross stitch. Now THOSE projects got finished, but not a lot of the samples I started while doing the home party stitchery kits.
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Ongoing means the same thing as your working on.
Now I did finish a cross and an angel in plastic canvas this year. Started and finished this year.
 
Our children were born on December 29th. When they were in kindergarten, the teacher asked our son when was his birthday. His reply was "four days after Christmas". Just as luck would have it, she was a Byzantine rite Catholic, while we're Roman rite. She made sure our son I and both understood that "four days after Christmas" wasn't quite the correct answer! :laugh:
 
Lynne Guinne said:
Our children were born on December 29th. When they were in kindergarten, the teacher asked our son when was his birthday. His reply was "four days after Christmas". Just as luck would have it, she was a Byzantine rite Catholic, while we're Roman rite. She made sure our son I and both understood that "four days after Christmas" wasn't quite the correct answer! :laugh:
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My late cousin from Saudi was married to an Ethiopian woman. They used to celebrate Christmas on 25 December and 7 January (or thereabouts)! Most (but not all) of my Greek family and friends celebrate Christmas in December, but they also celebrate Epiphany too, so I expect that overlaps with the Orthodox celebrations on 7 January too. My friends in Austria celebrate Christmas on 24 December, which is when I start celebrating.....:cheers:
 
Elawin said:
My late cousin from Saudi was married to an Ethiopian woman. They used to celebrate Christmas on 25 December and 7 January (or thereabouts)! Most (but not all) of my Greek family and friends celebrate Christmas in December, but they also celebrate Epiphany too, so I expect that overlaps with the Orthodox celebrations on 7 January too. My friends in Austria celebrate Christmas on 24 December, which is when I start celebrating.....:cheers:
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When I lived in Eritrea, we had two "Christmas Days," the latter being the Coptic Church version. The Coptic and Orthodox churches have the same holidays. Unlike here in the UK, if a public holiday fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the next day off!

The tricky holidays were the Muslim ones (Eritrea is about 50-50 Christian and Muslim). There, you had to wait to find out what the right alignment of moon and stars was before you could be sure you were getting a holiday. Even then, it was a bit uncertain; I recall that we had two days at Eid al-Fitr one year (end of Ramadan) and one day the next.
 
Duck59 said:
When I lived in Eritrea, we had two "Christmas Days," the latter being the Coptic Church version. The Coptic and Orthodox churches have the same holidays. Unlike here in the UK, if a public holiday fell on a Sunday, you didn't get the next day off!

The tricky holidays were the Muslim ones (Eritrea is about 50-50 Christian and Muslim). There, you had to wait to find out what the right alignment of moon and stars was before you could be sure you were getting a holiday. Even then, it was a bit uncertain; I recall that we had two days at Eid al-Fitr one year (end of Ramadan) and one day the next.
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People with school age kids in east London (and no doubt in lots of other places too) complain that, while all the kids get the normal holidays and Christian holidays off school, only the Muslim kids get the Muslim holidays off (unless of course they happen to fall in the normal school holidays).
 
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