Every single year it happens.
Summer is doing its thing, it’s approximately one thousand degrees outside, I’m pretending I enjoy being outdoors, and then Hallmark quietly rolls in with Christmas in July and suddenly my entire personality shifts.
The movies officially started airing Friday and I could not be happier.
This has become one of my absolute favorite parts of summer. Some people count down to vacations or pool season. Me? I count down to the point where Hallmark starts showing snowy small towns, twinkle lights, suspiciously attractive bakers, and people falling in love while decorating trees.
The second Christmas in July starts, something in my brain immediately says: okay… it’s time.
Time to think Fall.
Time to think Christmas.
Time to start planning scents.
And somehow… time to accept that this year has absolutely flown by.
Related: The Christmas Movie I Never Skip
Christmas In July Feels Like The Official Start Of Holiday Planning
I know logically it sounds ridiculous.
Christmas movies in July?
But if you know, you know.
There is something weirdly comforting about putting on a Hallmark movie while sitting under a ceiling fan in triple-digit weather and pretending the air outside smells like cinnamon instead of hot pavement.
Christmas in July always flips the switch for me creatively too. Once those movies start airing, my mind immediately starts moving toward Fall and holiday scents.
That means planning fragrance blends, deciding what stays, figuring out what comes back, and dreaming up new ideas. And this year, we’re starting to pour Fall melts next weekend.
NEXT WEEKEND.
Honestly, that sentence feels fake because wasn’t it just March?
One minute it’s New Year’s and the next minute I’m making Fall plans and realizing the holidays are basically speeding toward us whether I’m ready or not.
My Hallmark Favorites I’m Hoping Show Up This Year
Every year I end up watching way too many movies and saying, “Okay, this is the last one,” before immediately starting another.
But there are definitely favorites I hope make plenty of appearances over the next month.
Right now, my top comfort-watch list includes:
• Haul Out the Holly
• Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up
• Biltmore Christmas
• Snow Bride
• The Nine Lives of Christmas
• Christmas in Evergreen
• Christmas Town
• Sugarplummed
Haul Out the Holly and Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up are still sitting at the top for me right now. They are ridiculous in the best possible way and somehow became instant favorites.
Also… I am once again putting it out into the universe:
Please give us a sequel.
I know I’m not alone.
Fall Melts, Holiday Dreams And Pretending There’s A Chill In The Air
Christmas in July always feels like permission to start thinking ahead.
Not rushing summer.
Just opening the door a little.
Suddenly I’m thinking about warm bakery scents, cozy evenings, holiday collections, and all the things that make the second half of the year feel fun.
There’s something exciting about planning now and knowing before long the house will smell like Fall candles, Christmas movies will actually make sense seasonally, and everybody will suddenly act shocked that the holidays arrived so fast.
Meanwhile I’ll be over here acting surprised too… despite literally starting holiday planning in July.
If you need me for the next month, I’ll probably be somewhere between Hallmark movie marathons and testing Fall scents while pretending it’s fifty degrees outside.
And honestly?
That sounds like a pretty good summer tradition.
Lisa Crow contributed to this article. She is a true crime junkie and lifestyle blogger based in Waco, Texas. Lisa is the Head of Content at Gigi’s Ramblings and Southern Bred True Crime Junkie. She spends her free time traveling when she can and making memories with her large family which consists of six children and sixteen grandchildren.