Holidays & Occasions Christmas Refreshing and Festive Foods for Your Christmas in July Party By Southern Living Editors Updated on April 5, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Sanchez Looking for an excuse to throw a party? When the hot and languid days of summer start to feel overwhelming, some people feel re-energized by throwing a 'Christmas in July' party. Pull out your Christmas china and serve chilling, cold foods for a fun way to forget about the heat outside. Many like to start their holiday shopping early and throw a party to get in the mood. Others choose a particular charity and throw a 'Christmas in July' party as a way to raise much-needed funds. And some simply like the party idea, along with the cool and refreshing foods, as a way to take their minds off the heat. Whatever your reason, just keep your guests cool with refreshing cocktails, ice-cold desserts, and festive appetizers. 01 of 25 Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread Southern Living Recipe: Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread You won't believe how easy this Christmas tree is to create. 02 of 25 Montgomery Punch Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Montgomery Punch Start the party off right by welcoming your guests with this light and refreshing punch. 03 of 25 Aunt Laura's Stained Glass Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: Aunt Laura's Stained Glass Cake This vintage dessert is a fun way to stay cool in the middle of the hot summer. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 04 of 25 Hot Chocolate Icebox Pie Southern Living Recipe: Hot Chocolate Icebox Pie Chocolate is a welcome treat throughout the year, and this delicious and decadent dessert will help keep your guests cool. 05 of 25 Christmas Salad Alison Miksch Recipe: Christmas Salad If you're throwing a party drenched in red and green, you should probably include some healthy greens on the table alongside the Christmas cookies. This colorful salad topped with a warm vinaigrette is anything but boring. 06 of 25 Coconut Balls Micah A. Leal Recipe: Coconut Balls With a short ingredient list and no baking involved, these lovely treats come together in a snap. Keep them chilling in the fridge until your party. 07 of 25 Cranberry Brie Bites Southern Living Recipe: Cranberry Brie Bites Bring a homemade snack to a potluck-style Christmas in July party with the help of frozen mini phyllo pastry shells 08 of 25 Easy Sugar Cookies Carlina Teteris/Getty Images Recipe: Easy Sugar Cookies You can never go wrong with homemade sugar cookies. You can decorate them yourself before the guests arrive, or have a decorating station at the party. 09 of 25 Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball This savory cheese ball will fit right in with your green and red party. 10 of 25 Christmas Fudge Micah A Leal Recipe: Christmas Fudge Classic fudge will delight Christmas guests young and old, and we love the festive sprinkles on top. 11 of 25 Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies Using cake mix makes for the softest, chewiest cookies. We know, you're probably wondering, "Why didn't I think of that?", but you can tell your guests you did! 12 of 25 Watermelon, Cucumber, and Feta Salad Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Recipe: Watermelon, Cucumber, and Feta Salad This summery salad showcases fresh produce while blending in with the reds and greens of Christmastime. 13 of 25 Christmas Buttermints Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Christmas Buttermints Set up a bowl full of this retro homemade candy and watch as it disappears by the end of the party. 14 of 25 Pitcher Mojitos Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Pitcher Mojitos Since you can't (or probably don't want to) sip on spiked eggnog or hot chocolate during July, these big-batch mojitos are refreshing and festive with a green Christmas color scheme. 15 of 25 Linzer Tree Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Linzer Tree Cookies These Linzer cookies are as beautiful as they are delicious. 16 of 25 Lemon-Lime-Rosemary Punch Alison Miksch Recipe: Lemon-Lime-Rosemary Punch It's not a true Southern Christmas party until someone gets the punch bowl out, and this sherbert-filled recipe is perfect for summer. 17 of 25 Spicy Cheddar Appetizer Cookies Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Spicy Cheddar Appetizer Cookies Make your traditional cheese straw recipe a little more festive with star-shaped cookie cutters. 18 of 25 Chocolate-Peppermint Cheesecake Hector Sanchez Recipe: Chocolate-Peppermint Cheesecake This fluffy cheesecake tastes like Christmas in a slice. 19 of 25 Shrimp and Grits Casserole Antonis Achilleo; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Shrimp and Grits Casserole There are plenty of recipes that families tend to only eat during the holidays, but shrimp and grits is delicious all year long. This big-batch recipe makes preparing and serving shrimp and grits for a crowd a breeze. 20 of 25 Christmas Snow Salad Jennifer Causey Recipe: Christmas Snow Salad For many families in the South, it just wouldn't be a Christmas party without a jiggly gelatin salad on the lineup. 21 of 25 Watermelon Gazpacho Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Watermelon Gazpacho This chilled soup is the best a Christmas in July recipe can get—fresh and cool for the summer but festive for Christmas! 22 of 25 Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies How cute are these Christmas cookies? 23 of 25 Sparkling Pomegranate Punch Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Sparkling Pomegranate Punch Leave it to this fizzy, fruity cocktail to get the party going—it shouldn't take long! 24 of 25 Reindeer Marshmallow Pops Southern Living Recipe: Reindeer Marshmallow Pops The kids will have a ball making these adorable reindeer treats. 25 of 25 Herbed Goat Cheese-Melon Party Bites Jennifer Davick Recipe: Herbed Goat Cheese-Melon Party Bites Fresh summer produce meets a Christmas in July party color palette with this simple appetizer recipe. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit