Christmas In July

A little history lesson and an announcement!  Yeah, it's longer

than my regular posts!  As a dear friend of mine always says,

"You might want to pack a lunch!"  :)

The theme this week at Creative Tuesdays is Christmas in July!

I thought that certainly this meant more than a second chance at the

holiday half way through the year and decided to look up the history.

As it turns out, Christmas in July isn't for us here enjoying summer in

July.  It was originally for those in the Southern Hemisphere who celebrate

Christmas on December 25 right in the middle of their summer!  To give

the true feeling of a winter wonderland, snowmen and a crackling fire, they do a second

celebration in July, during their winter season, when they truly can

sing I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas!

In the 1940's, the United States suggested a push for shipping packages

to our military overseas beginning in July because most of it was

shipped by sea and it took that long to reach the soldiers.

Some churches started celebrating Christmas in July around that same

time and donated gifts and money, clipped on trees in churches, as gifts

to our troops during the war.  To complete the feel, the services also

included Christmas music and decorations.

So it was with those ideas that I did a drawing to look like an

advertisement in a magazine.  Maybe it could have been in a Saturday

Evening Post with Norman Rockwell art gracing the cover?  And

since I enjoyed making my Paradise Island to look aged and yellowed,

I tried to do this one the same way!

Well, all good things eventually come to an end, right?

This is going to be my last entry to Creative Tuesdays!

It's been a fun 2 1/2 years that's for sure, but

I've felt the desire to do something different for a while now.

Sophia at Sunday Sketches has invited me to join their

group of artists and I think I'm going to give that a go!

So, I'll still be posting my drawings once a week, it will

just be on Sundays now instead of Tuesdays!

There isn't a theme at this new co-op, or any rules...

you just post what ever art you happen to be working on.

Although, I'm sure my birds will still show up in my art! ha.

I want to thank everyone at CT for all of their encouragement

to me.  It's been a lot of fun.  And thanks, Mmm for nudging

me to get involved in the first place! :)  I thought it would be 

fun to see all 62 of my entries together!  They are in random

order, but the very first entry is the last one...the Chickadee

eating Cheerios off of the tree branches.  I had to laugh,

noting that my first entry was a bird, even before I

took the challenge of having one in each drawing!

Anyway, I hope I've contributed in a meaningful way.

I do know of 6 bloggers who joined CT through my

participation, so at least I'm leaving having given that!

I'll still be around to visit all of you as I've noticed 

many of you are on my blog roll for daily visits anyway!

And some of you are involved with Sunday Sketches, too!

So, this isn't goodbye, it's just see you in a different venue!

And in only 5 days! :)

If you'd like to see other entries for Christmas in July, click HERE. 

♥