If someone told you to put up Christmas decorations in the middle of July, you'd probably laugh. But mention "Christmas in July" and most people immediately know what you mean — and more than a few of them actually love it.
So where did this quirky summer tradition come from, and why does it keep showing up every year? The history is more interesting than you might expect.
The Earliest Origins
The phrase "Christmas in July" has roots that stretch back further than most people realize. One of the earliest known references dates to 1933, when a summer camp in North Carolina called Keystone Camp held a mock Christmas celebration for its campers in the middle of summer. Complete with decorations, gifts, and holiday cheer, the event was a way to break up the summer and give campers a taste of the familiar warmth of the winter holiday season.
It was a simple idea, but it tapped into something real: the holidays aren't just about the date on the calendar. They're about the feeling.
Hollywood Helped Make It Famous
The phrase got a significant cultural boost in 1940, when Preston Sturges wrote and directed a comedy film called — you guessed it — Christmas in July. The film followed a young man who mistakenly believes he's won a slogan contest and goes on a spending spree, spreading unexpected joy to his whole neighborhood. It was warmly received, and helped cement the phrase in the American cultural vocabulary.
From there, the concept took on a life of its own.
A Retail and Marketing Phenomenon
By the latter half of the 20th century, retailers had caught on. July sits in what's historically a slower shopping period — the post-spring, pre-fall-season lull — and Christmas in July became a natural hook for summer sales events. Stores began offering holiday-themed promotions, discounts, and seasonal callbacks to drive traffic during a typically quiet month.
Today, Christmas in July promotions are common across industries, from retail and e-commerce to travel, hospitality, and yes — automotive. The appeal is consistent: it takes the warmth and generosity associated with the holiday season and drops it into the heart of summer, when people least expect it.
Why It Still Resonates
There's a psychological reason Christmas in July keeps working, decade after decade. The holiday season carries strong emotional associations — gift-giving, community, surprise, generosity. When those feelings show up unexpectedly in July, they hit differently. There's a novelty to it that the actual December holiday, with all its buildup and expectation, sometimes can't match.
Getting something you didn't expect, in a month you weren't expecting it, from a place you just stopped by on a Tuesday afternoon — that's a pretty good feeling.
Christmas in July at Kunes Auto Group of Morrison
That's exactly the spirit behind our Christmas in July: Test Drive & Pick a Prize event this July. Stop in anytime between July 1 and 31, take a vehicle for a test drive, and pick a complimentary gift from our Prize Tree — stocked with everything from Apple AirPods and Stanley Tumblers to a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker and a Fire Pit Table.
No purchase necessary. No catch. Just a little holiday tradition, delivered in the middle of summer.
Christmas in July: Test Drive & Pick a Prize runs July 1 – 31 at Kunes Auto Group of Morrison. Prizes available while supplies last. Must be 21+ with a valid driver's license. One prize per person, per day.
