Christmas in July.

A week ago we celebrated what is known as “Christmas in July.” I have always found this to be interesting because if the real celebration is to be half-way to the holidays, the real date would be June 25^th. (For you trivia buffs, this is the day Michael Jackson died, and is my son’s birthday.)

I really didn’t know much about the history of this “holiday” but I have learned it is actually a fun holiday celebrated in certain parts of Europe and Austria. What’s interesting, and of no surprise, is it involves food---but in this case, not presents. The food pretty much the traditional stuff we stuff ourselves with during the winter holidays. (Because it really is not really a holiday, the origins are still unconfirmed.)

I actually like both holidays; for the wintertime holiday, it brings family together, whether you “officially” celebrate the holiday or not, it is a wonderful time of the year. Sure there’s stress, but all in all, it is a great reason to get together with friends and family---and the food is always good. As far as the summertime version, I have never celebrated it, nor will I likely do it in the near term. I do love the weather however, so I am open to the celebration during my favorite time of the year.

There is one part of Christmas that does bother me; when the tree comes into the house, I am always wondering why they just can’t use a fake tree. I realize there is tradition behind it, however taking something that is alive---a tree---and cutting it down is just difficult for me. When it dries up and is a fire hazard, we then drag it out to the curb and leave it to be picked up by the trash man. I think it’s sad…but that’s just me.

The photo above was taken in Kirkwood, CA nearLake Tahoe. I “creatively” walked around the tree to center the moon at the top of the tree. Pretty tricky huh? I really like this photo---one thing I will always remember about it, I shot it right around “Christmas in July.” Fortunately the tree did not give it’s life---and there were no presents under it.

Thanks for stopping by.