How to have a Midsummer Christmas

Last year in lockdown we started a traditional that has quickly become a family favourite! When my mother in law moved from England to New Zealand she and her friends would have a midwinter Christmas in June because they felt like the summer Christmas in New Zealand weren’t traditional. We decided to flip this on it’s head because for my husband growing up in New Zealand, Christmas was always a summer festival. and so was born the idea of a midsummer Christmas.

Christmas Eve

I would advise keeping a summer Christmas to just one or two days. We start on a Saturday with summer Christmas Eve by getting just a few select decorations out of the loft (I actually put them in a special box when I take real Christmas down to save time)! We put up a smallish tree and have a set of Christmas plates and of course the stockings and a couple of small decorations. I also save non perishable food from Christmas too (white snowman chocolate buttons, mince meat in a jar and frozen Christmas potato shapes this year!)

Baking

Nothing says Christmas more than baking some goodies! Last year was really hot and so we made mince pie ice cream but this year was dull and rainy so we made gingerbread men and mince pies. The mice pies are just ready rolled pastry and mincemeat from a jar and so are super easy – they fill your house with lovely christmassy smells too. To make our Midsummer Christmas feel more antipodean we also make a Pavlova – more about that later.

Movies

This year we watched a movie each day (the Christmas Chronicles 2 and Elf) and because ‘Christmas Eve’ was rainy it was the perfect way to spend it. However on a brighter day it was be really fun to borrow a projector and have an outside movie viewing – you could even have friends around and have a picnic.

Mummy-Santa

The legend of Mummy-Santa is quite funny. We, in the inaugural Midsummer Christmas, decided to put a few cheap summer toys in their amazing summer Christmas stockings (made by my mum). We explained that as the real Santa obviously only comes at Christmas it would be mummy that put a few little presents in the stockings. Over the course of the year, while talking to each other, the kids concocted a story about a character called Mummy-Santa who delivers presents in the summer. They refuse to acknowledge my existence and leave gin and chocolates out for Mummy-Santa instead! If you wanted to have little stockings it could be fun to give the kids £5 each and get them to fill each others. Or you could let Mummy-Santa do it!

Christmas Day

Christmas Morning

If you love Christmas morning then you will love midsummer Christmas morning too! It’s got the same kind of magic but the sky is bright and the doors and windows are open. Mummy-Santa fills the stockings with pound shop treasures and little sweets and it’s actually more relaxing than the real deal as there is far less to open and do! Top tip – set a time to get up – mine were up and ready to go at 5! Also I wrap the gifts days earlier – it makes mummy-Santa’s Christmas Eve a bit more fun.

Games

One of the things we dragged out of the loft was our Christmas board game – but any games will do (trivial pursuit is a favourite here) sky was lighter, we had a break to go on the swings and ate ice lollies but the competitive spirit was just the same.


the pavlovA

Now I am reliably informed that you can’t have a Kiwi Christmas without a Pav and so the making of this was hugely important. Mark used his mother’s recipe and as she is the inspiration for it all that feels especially lovely. However there are loads of good Pav recipes – such as this one. Or you can buy a meringue from any supermarket and just add whipped cream and fruit. Delicious.

BBQ Christmas Dinner

Lash year we made our first Beer Can Chicken and it was so awesome that we made it again this year! I love eating outside and BBQing the food makes it so much more Antipodean. The beer can chicken it’s surprisingly easy to make – so give it a go.

This year my dad made the most incredible kebab sticks for the BBQ with carrots, sausages, stuffing balls and potatoes on them. He had pre cooked them so mark just had to heat them up. They were perfect and really tasty too so I recommend you do the same. We managed to find enough old crackers (or you could make your own) and I think I might have enjoyed it more than the real thing.
So – that’s how to have a Midsummer Christmas x

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46 thoughts on “How to have a Midsummer Christmas”

  1. We have Christmas in July here (Australia) – it’s a thing “Christmas in July” where we all go off to the mountains where it ‘might’ snow (rarely does but it is cold) or restaurants put on full xmas roast or people havebig traditional xmas dinner parties with friends. There’s also now Tinsel Town – a bar that’s basically a xmas scene. Some people put up their trees. I only discovered this wasn’t a global thing last year when an American friend commented on it. #KCACOLS

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  3. I absolutely ADORE this idea! It always makes me sad when Christmas is over….not so much for the food, or even the presents….just the pretty lights and decorations. There’s no way my husband would tolerate having Christmas every day….but I might just get away with a second Summer Christmas!
    #kcacols

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  11. We celebrate Christmas every year on 30th August as our little girl Milly was in hospital at Christmas having a Bone Marrow Transplant donated by her big sister Kacey. We are now in to our 8th year… Feeling blessed xx

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  34. I dont think I could have a summer Christmas, would not seem right even when we missed Christmas in 2017 when we spent it in hospital with my youngest

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  42. Though ‘Freedom Day’ didn’t change a thing for us, (we have been shielding our 11 year son for the last 16 months), we could do with some fun so might give this a try, incorporating some Christmas fun into our summer should lighten things a tad 🙂

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