The first named storm has formed.
The sun’s rays are hot.
The Gulf of Mexico is warm.
The crowds have simmered down.
Time for Christmas in July.
Longtime Islanders remember days when now-defunct restaurants and bars turned up the Island heat with a mid-summer frenzy called “Christmas in July.”
The famed Pete Reynard’s Restaurant in Holmes Beach and Trader Jack’s in Bradenton Beach — both now long gone — celebrated Christmas in July as if it was New Year’s Eve.
Christmas in July is not unique to Anna Maria Island.
Christmas in July is widely celebrated down under with cooler-weather holiday traditions, such as roast duck and plum pudding, because it’s winter in the southern hemisphere — even if the thermometer still registers 65 degrees in Sydney.
In the United States, Christmas in July observances tend to involve shopping, dining and wining.
The Islander invites people, businesses or groups celebrating Christmas in July to share notice of their traditions — or announce events. E-mail Lisa Neff at lisaneff@islander.org.