In the foreground is a Nativity set made to look like the Amazon rainforest featuring figures made to look like members of the Xingu Tribe. The set also features two large mango trees with parrots, macaws and spider monkeys. Other natural elements include flowers, plants, tree stumps and rocks. Other animals featured include toucans, tuiuiu birds, snakes, turtles, a yellow jaguar, a black jaguar and ladybugs. In the background are other Nativities and their wall cling labels.

Tuesday July 25, 2023

Christmas in July

By Michelle Schweickart

History of ‘Christmas in July’

“Christmas in July” is an annual celebration held in July and usually includes Christmas-themed parties and activities. It is unofficially observed in many countries and is sometimes referred to as Midwinter Christmas, Christmas in Winter, Christmas in Summer and Early Christmas. It is particularly popular today for those living in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter occurs during June, July and August. Those in the Northern Hemisphere may be more familiar with the commercialized version featuring Hallmark Christmas movie marathons and Christmas in July sales. So where did the idea for celebrating Christmas in July start?

It started with an opera

The oldest known reference comes from the 1892 French opera Werther by Jules Massenet, based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s book The Sorrows of Young Werther. In the opera, a character tells a group of children rehearsing Christmas music, “When you sing Christmas in July, you rush the season.” While that may be the oldest reference, the first recognized celebration of Christmas in July didn’t occur for another 41 years. It took place July 24-25, 1933, at a girls’ camp called Keystone Camp in Brevard, North Carolina, at the request of camp co-founder Fannie Holt. The celebration featured carolers, a Christmas tree, Santa Claus, presents and cotton snow. The tradition grew over time and continues to this day. The term became more widely used in 1940 with the release of the movie Christmas in July featuring Dick Powell and Ellen Drew. In 1942 and 1943, the phrase was used for donation drives to collect Christmas gifts for missions around the world. The U.S. Post Office also held similar drives during World War II to gather cards and gifts for soldiers serving overseas. Retailers ran with the idea for their summer advertising campaigns as early as 1950. Christmas in July at the Marian Library, however, means that staff are hard at work on the preparations for the 2023 Christmas exhibit.

Making our list and checking it — a lot

Our list is not of things we would like to receive, but of things we would like to share. The Marian Library has one of the world’s largest Marian collections, and it’s continually evolving and expanding. With a collection this large, it’s difficult to choose what to include in the Christmas exhibit each year. It all starts with a planning meeting in late spring to review past exhibits and identify items that haven’t been exhibited before or recently. A central theme aids in the selection of items to feature. Then the team begins to design the best layout to display the Nativities and other items. Then comes the writing, design and printing of exhibit materials; bringing display cases out of storage; and promoting the exhibit. All of this behind-the-scenes work culminates in the exhibit installation, which requires coordination with multiple departments within the library and other campus partners.

Coming this November: ‘Nativities and the Natural World’

This year’s Christmas exhibit — Nativities and the Natural World — will explore the intersection of Christmas and nature in Nativity sets, artwork and more. The featured works incorporate plants and animals from around the world into the Christmas story. Gourds, straw, wood, mother-of-pearl and beeswax are among the materials used to create Nativity sets that reflect the natural world in which Christ was born.

We invite all to experience the wonder of Christmas through this exhibit, which opens Monday, Nov. 20, and runs through Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. Stay informed by visiting go.udayton.edu/christmas-exhibit and following @MarianLibraryUD on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

— Michelle Schweickart is a library assistant in the Marian Library.

_References:

_{Christmas in July. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 13, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July}

_{Owen, Katherine. (2022, September 15). The Real Story Behind Christmas in July Started in North Carolina. Southern Living. https://www.southernliving.com/holidays-occasions/christmas/how-did-christmas-july-start}

Hand-carved and hand-painted wood Nativity set featuring animals such as arctic foxes, wolves, polar bears, a penguin, a moose and a seal. Other items in the set include a kayak, a totem pole and a snow covered stable with the Holy Family inside.

“Only Icicles Are For Real?” (Alaska) from the Marian Library’s Elisabeth van Mullekom Collection, University of Dayton

Nativity set made of leaves, twigs, bark and giant fennel. The set features the Magi riding camels on their way to visit the Holy Family. The Holy Family is in the foreground surrounded by livestock including lambs, sheep, cows and donkeys. The Star of Bethlehem is above them, mounted on a blue background made to look like the night sky.

“Matter Matters” (G. Serra, Sardinia, Italy). From the Marian Library Crèche Collection, University of Dayton.

A hand-painted wooden and plaster Nativity retablo, or Nativity box, with two doors that open outward to reveal two levels of miniature figures and two angels suspended from the top corners. The top level features a traditional Nativity scene with Mary, Joseph and Jesus. In front of them are shepherds kneeling and praying with sheep, donkeys and birds next to them. The bottom level features large prickly pear cactuses in the back with five figures harvesting the red fruits. Two donkey figures appear as well.

Peruvian retablo Nativity from the Marian Library Art and Artifacts Collection, University of Dayto

Collage-style Christmas card made up of a painted bodhi leaf depicting the Magi riding on camels with the Star of Bethlehem overhead. The leaf is mounted on black cardstock, which has then been glued to the front of a cream card.

Christmas card featuring the Magi (Ghanpur, India) from the Marian Library’s Elisabeth van Mullekom Vintage Christmas Card Collection, University of Dayton

A Christmas postcard featuring an oval-shaped nature image including a pond, a grove of trees and a boathouse. The image is surrounded by a gold foil border. Around the perimeter of the card are embossed flowers and flower garland with an embossed Christmas message, "Sincere Greetings," which is split between the top left and bottom right. A Christmas message is printed starting at the top right that reads, "From my heart I am sending fond wishes to thee," and continues at the bottom left with, "That joyous and Happy thy Christmas may be.”

Christmas postcard front (ca. 1920-30, England) from the Marian Library’s Elisabeth van Mullekom Vintage Christmas Card Collection, University of Dayton

Christmas postcard back (ca. 1920-30, England) from the Marian Library’s Elisabeth van Mullekom Vintage Christmas Card Collection, University of Dayton

A plastic Christmas ornament made to look like glass with a gold painted frame. “Merry Christmas” is printed at the top center of the ornament, and below it is a gold foil image of the Nativity featuring Mary kneeling on the left, Christ’s manger in the middle and Joseph standing and looking down at them on the right. The image is surrounded by a foil border. A border of holly and berries painted in green and red appears between the gold frame and the gold border.

Nativity ornament (late 20th century) from the Marian Library Art and Artifacts Collection, University of Dayton

Set of eight straw ornaments in various star shapes. Each one has been painted gold and features a gold bead at the center and gold glitter ribbon woven into and glued to it. A hand-tied piece of string at the top allows each to hang on a Christmas tree.

Straw star ornaments from the Marian Library Art and Artifacts Collection, University of Dayton

Image from the Marian Library Crèche Museum. In the foreground is a Nativity set made to look like the Amazon rainforest featuring figures made to look like members of the Xingu Tribe. The set also features two large mango trees with parrots, macaws and spider monkeys. Other natural elements include flowers, plants, tree stumps and rocks. Other animals featured include toucans, tuiuiu birds, snakes, turtles, a yellow jaguar, a black jaguar and ladybugs. In the background are other Nativities and their wall cling labels.

“Paradise Lost” (Sidney Matias, 2009, Brazil) from the Marian Library’s Crèche Collection, University of Dayton; depicts plants and animals from South America

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