Christmas in July: How brands use summer promotions to build lasting customer loyalty

Reza Javanian

Talon.One loyalty expert

5 minutes to read

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Every year, more brands are treating Christmas in July as a serious promotional opportunity, and the trend keeps growing.

More than one in five Americans now say they plan to shop Christmas in July sales, double the share who said the same back in 2021.

What started as a quirky nod to the holiday season has become a legitimate customer engagement moment, with retailers, restaurants, and travel companies using it to drive mid-summer sales and deepen customer loyalty during a notoriously slow stretch of the calendar.

In this blog, you'll read about:

What Christmas in July actually is and where it came from
How well-known brands have used it to run promotions and build loyalty
Ideas you can use to turn Christmas in July into a customer loyalty opportunity

Where Christmas in July came from and why brands love it

Christmas in July has been around longer than most people assume. The term is often traced back to Yellowstone National Park, where staff and guests found themselves snowed in at the Old Faithful Inn during an unexpected summer blizzard in 1925, an event the park later turned into an annual midyear holiday tradition.

The phrase itself picked up momentum in American culture through the 1940 film Christmas in July, and by 1950 advertisers had already started running Christmas in July promotions in print. Today, Christmas in July sits on July 25, roughly six months from the actual holiday, and functions less as a real celebration and more as a flexible marketing and customer engagement hook that brands can shape however they like.

Part of the reason it works so well comes down to timing. Mid-summer tends to be a quiet time for most businesses, sitting well after the early summer sales push and before the back to school rush picks up. It is also when early planners are already thinking about the festive season, whether that means booking holiday travel, picking up decor, or starting craft projects that take months to finish. Christmas in July taps into both at once, filling a quiet gap in the calendar while reaching customers who are getting a head start on Christmas.

Christmas in July incentives examples from top brands

Some brands treat Christmas in July as a one day discount code. Others build an entire campaign around it. Here are a few examples that show what’s possible.

QVC runs one of the largest and longest-running Christmas in July sales in retail. The 2025 event featured nearly 4,000 items marked down as much as 50 percent, spanning holiday decor, gourmet food, fashion, and beauty. QVC frames the sale as a way for shoppers to get ahead on gifts and decorations, and it consistently drives a major traffic spike across TV and its online store during a month that would otherwise be quiet for holiday related shopping.

QVC celebrates Christmas in July with festive decor and deals.

Image source

Chuck E. Cheese took a multichannel approach in 2026 with a week-long Christmas in July celebration across its U.S. and Canada locations. The campaign folded in content from its animated special, A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas, which played inside its Fun Centers, alongside English and Spanish holiday content pushed out on YouTube and social media.

The brand also gave away a downloadable voucher for 500 free e-tickets, described as an early Christmas gift, and ran social contests offering limited-edition plush toys and a two-month Fun Pass.

Chuck E. Cheese brings Christmas cheer to July with a week-long celebration for families.

Image source

Hunkydory Crafts, a UK papercraft manufacturer, used its craft TV channel to run a Christmas in July event built around a festive free gift with every order, new product launches, live demonstrations, and real-time chat with viewers.

The timing lines up with when crafters typically start planning their Christmas projects, since cards and decorations often take months to make. Rather than treating the holiday as an excuse for a markdown, the brand uses it to preview upcoming holiday craft products while keeping its community engaged in the middle of the year.

Hunkydory Crafts' Festive Opulence collection, launched for crafters getting an early start on Christmas projects.

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Xanterra Travel Collection, which operates properties at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and other national parks, takes a different angle entirely. Its Christmas in July sale offers discounts of 20 to 30 percent on stays, train tickets, and holiday ornaments across its portfolio of lodges and resorts. The campaign leans into imagery of Santa and holiday travel planning months in advance, tapping into the idea that booking a winter trip is itself a kind of gift to yourself or your family.

Xanterra Travel Collection celebrates Christmas in July with savings on holiday getaways booked months ahead.

Image source

Across these examples, a pattern emerges. The brands that get the most out of Christmas in July are not the ones simply slapping a red bow on a discount code. They are the ones using the holiday's built in nostalgia and playfulness to create content, community, and a genuine reason to check back in.

5 Christmas in July promotion ideas to build customer loyalty

If you are thinking about running your own Christmas in July campaign, here are some ways to go beyond a basic sale and actually build customer loyalty.

Run a 12 Days of Christmas in July countdown. Instead of one flash sale, spread daily deals across 12 days, with a different product or bundle featured each day. Promote it through email and social countdowns so customers have a reason to keep coming back rather than checking out once and disappearing.
Give VIP customers early access. Treat your most loyal shoppers to a preview of holiday inventory or the ability to preorder before anyone else. This rewards existing customers directly and reinforces the value of being part of a loyalty program.
Launch a "gift yourself" angle for service based businesses. Salons, spas, coaches, and other service brands can frame July offers as a reward for making it through the first half of the year, positioning the purchase as self care rather than a straightforward discount.
Encourage user generated content. Photo contests built around themes like an ugly sweater in summer or Santa on vacation give customers a fun reason to post and tag your brand. Pair it with a hashtag and a small prize to increase participation.
Share behind the scenes content. Give customers a peek at how your team is preparing for the actual holiday season, whether that is stock planning, packaging tests, or new product development. This builds anticipation and makes customers feel like insiders months before December arrives.

The brands getting the most value from Christmas in July are not just moving product. They are building a moment customers look forward to every year, which is exactly what turns a one-time sale into lasting loyalty.

If you are looking for more promotion ideas beyond Christmas in July, check out our report, “87 ideas for your next promotion campaign.”