The conspicuous incidence of marketing slogans constantly pressures people into celebrating anything capable of celebration. Hence, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day, to name just a few of these celebratory events, are now promoted by department stores with sustained marketing campaigns.
But lately, the increasing occurrence of “Christmas in July” celebrations around the world is evidence of the persuasive powers of clever marketing strategies. Although these celebrations are held in the wrong month, they have now become standard additions to the rich calendar of festivities.
As is well-known, Christmas is a Christian celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ during the December holiday season. But a greedy, profit-driven, materialistic world that is eager to maximise its opportunities has pushed relentlessly and successfully for people to accept “Christmas in July” celebrations.
“Christmas in July” events are increasingly held in the suburbs around Australia and throughout the Western world, as close as is possible to July 25. “Christmas in July” events offer Christmas-like activities and entertainment like the actual festival. Shopping centres even offer seasonal music, and occasionally a Christmas tree may be found among the accoutrements of the celebration.
Possible Beginnings
Like all such innovations, the early origins of the “Christmas in July” festivities are a bit obscure, but the tradition may have started in North Carolina.In 1935, the journal of the National Recreation Association commented upon the practice of organising such an event as one of the activities at a girls’ camp. However, the breakthrough certainly came with the release, in 1940, of the movie comedy “Christmas in July,” directed by Preston Sturges.
In the movie, a man called Jimmy is tricked by his co-workers into believing that he has won $25,000 in an advertising slogan contest for Maxford House Coffee. Believing that he won the Grand Prize for his slogan, “If you can’t sleep at night, it’s not the coffee, it’s the bunk,” he starts to splurge and proposes marriage to his girlfriend.
Alas, winning the jackpot was but a cruel deception! Although the movie ends with the happy announcement that the jury did eventually award the Grand Prize to Jimmy, the film is eerily reminiscent of what “Christmas in July” uncovers: a clever deception embraced by gullible people and innovative but unscrupulous advertisers.
Advertisers use “Christmas in July” for a wintertime or summertime campaign—depending on whether you are in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere—to promote the sale of their products.
Just a Profit Opportunity
In the Southern Hemisphere, the winter months are June, July, and August. To some extent, a “Christmas in July” celebration in the Southern Hemisphere could be said to emulate the wintery and sometimes icy and snowy conditions usually associated with the real Christmas celebration in the Northern Hemisphere.But it is doubtful that a “Christmas in July” event makes sense in the Northern Hemisphere, where it may be hot in July—this year, it is exceptionally hot in Europe, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), even in the United Kingdom.
This new tradition has now also apparently spread to other months. Sometimes it starts in June, and there is evidence that, in some countries, it is also organised in August and even in September. Christmas has practically become a year-long money-making event. For example, a summer Christmas festivity is held in Italy on June 25.
Of course, it is difficult, even counterproductive, to rail against the “Christmas in July” events. This is because the power of advertising successfully influences the shopping behaviour of people and is not concerned with the deeper meaning of Christmas. The predominant motive to promote “Christmas in July” events is the generation of corporate profits.
Real Meaning Lost
But this campaign fails to acknowledge the real meaning and continuing relevance of Christmas—the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.Christmas has now been made into a secular festivity, which has lost its connection to its Christian foundations. This is tragic because the failure, or unwillingness, to communicate the real message of Christmas to an increasingly secular world degrades the importance of peace and togetherness in a dangerous and volatile world and undermines the Christian foundations of the common law.
Secularism is promoted whenever the real meaning of Christmas cannot be discerned anymore or is hidden by cheap and superficial advertising slogans. In such circumstances, secularism is further entrenched in society and religion is displaced to serve cornucopian interests.
Nevertheless, Christmas events might still be useful if they were to promote friendship among people and offer them a modicum of peace, even if only temporarily.
But, in the final analysis, as seen in the movie, the message is still that “Christmas in July” is merely a deceptive and crude way of making money in a profit-driven world.
It is thus time to revitalise the real meaning of Christmas on Dec. 25 and not capitulate to the burgeoning influence of sleek advertising slogans!
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