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Let it (fake) snow! Will you celebrate Christmas this summer?

Could Father Christmas be heading to a summer beach near you? (Getty Images)
Could Father Christmas be heading to a summer beach near you? (Getty Images)

Are you, as Noddy Holder likes to ask, hanging up your stocking on your wall - in July?

If you're one of the many Brits who has decided to celebrate Christmas this summer, after Covid 19 restrictions shattered plans across the country last December, it might not be such a strange question after all.

Increasing numbers of people have chosen to get together with family, at long last, to host a 'middlemas', 'summermas' or a 'fake Christmas'. And they're not just having a barbecue - we're talking tinsel, turkey, trees and all the trimmings.

Watch now: Festive Ways to Celebrate Christmas in July This Summer

Aldi started offering mince pies and Christmas puddings in June, while Pret have already begun selling their famed Christmas sandwiches - usually only released during the festive period - and decorating their doorways with wreaths and baubles.

But is it really a trend, or just a marketing ploy to get us splashing some of the cash we didn't spend on festive frivolities back in December?

Read more: Pret has released its Christmas sandwich in July

The truth probably involves a bit of both. Aldi's research suggested that nearly half of Brits were planning to get together and celebrate a delayed Christmas this summer, while retailers such as Gardening Express are offering Christmas trees for immediate dispatch.

Could this be the first year your family eats Christmas lunch outside in the UK? (Getty Images)
Could this be the first year your family eats Christmas lunch outside in the UK? (Getty Images)

For Suzi Dutton, who edits parenting blog Felifamily.com, a summer Christmas will reunite the family at last.

"Due to the late changes last year, we had to cancel my 25-year-old daughter and her partner coming for Christmas," she told Yahoo.

"Like so many families we really tried - we had family Zoom calls, quizzes and more. But it wasn’t the same, and there was a real quietness about the whole Christmas period.

"We also had our New Years Eve hotel break cancelled at the last minute."

To make up for lost time, Dutton plans to host a delayed Christmas next weekend, with plans coinciding with her daughter's birthday.

"There will be six of us, and we will have Christmas dinner with all the trimmings," she said. "It’s been really hard to source crackers in July! I’m even going to put the tree up as a surprise and her presents will be wrapped in festive paper."

For Dutton, it's essential to go all out. "I’ll do stockings for everyone, and play cheesy Christmas music all day!" she said.

Christmas in July is already a big trend in Australia, when Aussies take advantage of their cooler winter months to have a more traditional style of festive holiday (rather than the beach barbecues they tend to have in hot December).

So, could summer Christmas become a real 'thing' over here? Probably not - but if you're celebrating middlemas, we hope it's as magical as the real thing.

Watch this: Noddy Holder launches Pret Christmas sandwich in July