Christmas in July is one of the Scout Elves’ favourite days on the North Pole calendar, and it is made for Australia. While the rest of the world is in the middle of summer, we are in the middle of winter – which means a mid-year Christmas here comes with the cold weather, the roast dinner and the cosy nights in that December never quite manages.

Here are the Scout Elves’ ideas for packing North Pole pep into a mid-winter celebration.

Why Australians celebrate Christmas in July

Christmas Day in Australia usually means heat, the beach and a cold lunch in the shade. Christmas in July flips that around. Falling in the coldest part of the year and often across the winter school holidays, it is the one chance to have a wintry Christmas without leaving the country – so the decorations come back out, the oven goes on, and the Scout Elves get a second celebration.

Christmas in July ideas for families

Throw a snow day

No snow outside? Make your own. A batch of homemade fake snow is enough for mini snowmen, snowballs and a small igloo on the kitchen bench – our guide to making fake snow at home has five easy recipes using things you already have in the cupboard. If you happen to get a warm July day further north, white water balloons make a brilliant heat‑friendly “snowball” fight instead. Heads up!

Set up a cocoa bar

Winter is exactly the right weather for cocoa. Set up a bar with traditional toppings like marshmallows, hundreds and thousands and whipped cream so everyone can build their own. If it is unseasonably mild where you are, the same toppings work just as well over iced chocolate milk. Don’t forget the festive straws!

Make Santa hat strawberries

Start with a small biscuit of your choice and add a swirl of whipped cream on top. Place a trimmed strawberry, fat side down, onto the biscuit, and add a dollop of whipped cream on top to act as the hat’s pom‑pom. Queensland strawberries are at their best mid‑year, so July is a good time for these. Bon appétit!

Bring the decorations back out

Half an hour of tinsel, a few baubles and the Christmas playlist will turn an ordinary winter evening into an occasion. A mid‑year tree does not need to be the full December production – a small one on the sideboard is plenty.

What the Scout Elves get up to in July

Christmas in July is a North Pole holiday too, so the Scout Elves like to mark it with a little mischief of their own:

• A snowy scene on the kitchen bench, left overnight for the family to find in the morning
• A countdown chalked on the fridge in the week leading up to the big day
• A mid‑year letter home, reporting on how the year is going so far
• A hot chocolate left out with a tiny note beside it

For more things to make and do together, browse the Elf Ideas library, or read about the official Scout Elves and how they arrive. Families with an Elf Pets® Arctic Fox will find a tray of homemade snow makes a very welcome mid‑winter surprise.

These recipes may contain ingredients that can cause allergic reactions in certain individuals. Before using our recipes, always check the ingredient list and food labels of all ingredients and be sure to seek advice from a qualified physician if needed.