The question was asked “Why only celebrate the gift of Christmas giving in December? We should be celebrating it all year round”.  So Christmas in July was first held in the church hall on Friday the 20^th July 2001 and raised a great amount for the Rosebank Homeless Association. The date is always set over the weekend closest to the 25^th of July. The number of miracle makers attending our Christmas Miracle in the middle of the year, black tie dinner dance with auction and raffle has grown from 80 people to on average 320 people (one year we had 430 guests attend). The Indaba Hotel in Fourways has been our venue of choice for over 10 years where Rent a Candle in Fourways has performed their magic of making Christmas come alive, Fex Entertainment has ensured that the celebration is awesome, Meridian Wine has spoilt us with wine for all our miracle makers to enjoy on the night and Park Village Auctioneers host the auctions of the prizes which our fabulous hospitality industry and other miracle makers enable us to offer.

To date over the last 20 years plenty has been raised by our Christmas in July’s miracle makers for the beneficiaries. Some of our beneficiaries over the years have been Autism South Africa, Avril Elizabeth Home, Bertrams Junior School, Big Shoes, Compassionate Friends, Deansgate Old Age Home, Drought Relief Northern Cape families living with HIV and Aids, Emdeni Welile Community Project, Family Worship Centre Hospice, 4 Paws, Friends of the Ballet, Friends for Life, Headway, Holy Cross Orlando Church, Khanyisweni(Place where the light shines) Children’s Home, Kingdom Consultant Centre, Kya Kids Pre-Primary School, Mabvuku community programme, Parys Helping Hands, Relebohile Day Care Centre, Rosebank Homeless Association Zinto Zinhle, Sandton SPCA, Save the Rhino’s, South African Guide Dog Association, St Pauls Munsieville, St Martins Social Outreach Programmes, The Teddy Bear Clinic, ukuPhula iKetanga Prison Ministry, Vuleka  Primary School plus the many others, wherever a helping hand is able to enable.

For 2020 and 2021 Covid-19 had other ideas and our lives have been turned upside down in South Africa and the rest of the world. So, what did the pandemic mean for CIJ. It meant we needed to find a different way for the miracle of Christmas giving to happen twice a year. Otherwise our charities would be hugely affected, and some might possibly have to close, which is what we wanted to prevent. So CIJ went online with backabuddy and online auction. 

Now for Christmas in July 2022 we are reconnecting, rebuilding and rejoicing so meeting in person for a celebration and online auction & online donation campaign - contact me for details jw@landandsea.co.za.