Christmas in July:
12 reasons why and 20+ tips for retailers
According to legend, Christmas in July was first celebrated in 1933 at a summer camp in North Carolina and in 1940, the Christmas in July movie came out, so as you can see the concept is hardly new. The first instances of marketing the concept as a retail promotion focused on the dates July 24 and July 25 and was primarily in the southern hemisphere where July is a winter season. But, for retail purposes, it may be celebrated anytime in July — though American retailers likely avoid early month dates due to 4th of July celebrations.
Reasons for Christmas in July celebrations:
It is a great way to spread holiday cheer mid-year.
It puts a fun spin on a typical summer party theme.
Break up the summer months with a fresh celebration. Why not celebrate the “most wonderful time of the year” twice?!
Reasons for retailers to consider Christmas in July retail events:
It’s a fun spin on typical summer retail events.
It’s more interesting than a plain old sidewalk sale or clearance sale.
Get customers’ minds off of things like heat waves or an election year.
Christmas in July is an easy theme for the summer because no one expects you to go all out, but the word “Christmas” puts many in a shopping mode.
Add some relief to the summer doldrums and have your store associated with fun and generosity.
Here’s what six retailers have planned for July 2024…
Cynthia Sutton at Silver Barn and Nutmeg’s Kids in Columbus, TX says:
“It’s an annual sale. We literally reset (in part) the store for Christmas. It's so hot here that we hope seeing Christmas set up inspires customers to get excited about the upcoming holiday. We will set prices between 50-75% off. This year (2024) we will also have regular sales going on to boost the entire event. Summer will be 40-50% off, select jewelry and handbags 25-40%, and so on. But, the fun part is setting up the holiday look for customers. They get a kick out of seeing Christmas in July. Lots of work for us, but lots of sales as well.”
Carol Schroeder at Orange Tree Imports in Madison, WI says:
“We do a Summer Sidewalk Sale in July together with our Monroe Street neighbors. Those selling clothing felt that it was too late in the season to do their summer clearance during our big Monroe Street Festival in the fall. It’s not usually a big event for us, although we do participate. However this year we’ve received a large shipment of holiday merchandise at a steep discount from Cody Foster, so we’re going to highlight that as a Christmas in July sale.”
I heard from a few retailers who didn’t want to share their name or location, too:
A Pennsylvania apparel store owner is planning a store-wide 25% off sale on July 25, decorating the store window a week early leading up to the event. She has a shipment of Christmas-theme t-shirts and sweaters coming from two vendors and some holiday pajamas which she bought on closeout (last years designs).
A gift store owner in Iowa is partnering with a local charity and a local toy store to host an early Toys for Tots type of campaign. Anyone who brings in a new, unwrapped toy gets 50% off one full priced item, plus she has tons of ornaments left over from 2023, so those are available for 50% off to everyone whether they bring a toy or not. The partnering toy store offers a discount to anyone mentioning the gift store’s toy drive.
A general store/mercantile owner told me they are planning a gift-with-purchase and the gift is a locally branded “town” ornament that will appeal to visitors and locals alike. The deal is a free ornament with any purchase over $30.
One retailer says they simply have a huge clearance sale and call it the Christmas in July sale. The entire store is on sale, but they hold back any recent deliveries until right after the two-day, July 24 & 25th sale. Then, they do a bunch of “live” events on social media to release and unbox new merchandise after the 25th!
Clearly there are many ways to have a Christmas in July event, depending on your desire to generate foot traffic or clear out older merchandise or both. Read on for many more ideas including fun display props, themes, activities and marketing tips.