Christmas in July

I've heard this phrase, Christmas in July, thrown around since I was a kid. The mere thought of having two Christmases a year was enough to have me humming Christmas Carols in the heatwave of summer.

While my family never celebrated a "Christmas in July," that didn't matter - a kid can dream! It wasn't until this summer of 2008, that I realized what Christmas in July really means to a mom with children. It's when preparations for Christmas in December begin.

Over the years, I've grown weary of the commercialization of Christmas. I opt to make meaningful gifts for the ones I love, rather than participate in any brawls over the most popular things to buy. But, as a young woman, I generally gave myself little time to complete my ambitious projects and ended up dissatisfied with my finished result. It came as a real DUH! moment, that Christmas in July may very well be referring to preparations rather than celebrations.

Christmas in July isn't just for making and buying gifts. My great-grandmother always presented hundreds of little pastries, called Lady Locks, at Christmas. They were the highlight of Christmas goodies. In order to have hundreds ready for the Christmas season, she began making them months beforehand and storing them in the freezer. This is the smart way to do it. Trust me, it is a very very messy and stress-inducing task to try to make enough for a Christmas party over the weekend before. I have tried and it wasn't pretty. The pastries were so delicious, no one ever realized that they came from her freezer. They were surprised to find a freezer stocked with the Christmas delight when she passed away.

If you haven't begun preparing for the Christmas season, you're late for a very important date. I always wondered how the great hostesses of amazing Christmas parties and makers of the best Christmas gifts could possibly accomplish these feats. Now, I know, and this has been my first Christmas in July. This year, I'll be ready for a stress-free, totally relaxed Christmas season and there will be folks that wondered how I did it.

Candy Cook is always looking for a new reason to celebrate with her two sons and husband in Metro Atlanta, Georgia.