Writing Christmas Songs in July: How to Capture the Festive Feeling Out of Season

Photo credit: Sergey Dolgikh (iStock)

The sun’s blazing, the paddling pool’s out, and the end-of-term chaos is in full swing. Your mind’s on holidays, not holly—and certainly not sleigh bells.

But if you’re thinking about writing Christmas songs (or already have one or two unfinished ones sitting on your hard drive or in a notebook), mid-summer is when those songs start finding opportunities—so now’s the time to give them some focus. It might feel counterintuitive, but having your Christmas songs ready by mid-summer often gives them the best chance of finding an audience. Whether you're hoping to get your song cut by an artist, pitching for sync opportunities in festive films, or planning a winter release of your own—putting in the time now gives you space to polish and prepare, without the last-minute scramble.

This is one of the strange realities of being a songwriter: sometimes you have to create for a season you’re not in. Whether it’s writing about heartbreak when your own life feels calm, capturing the chill of winter while sweating through a heatwave, or crafting cosy nostalgia in the middle of July—part of the job is learning how to access emotional truth on demand, even when it feels disconnected from your current reality.

And Christmas songs? They come with their own challenges. Not just the clichés to avoid or the pressure to “write a classic”—but also the mindset shift it takes to even want to write one when you’re nowhere near feeling festive.

But here’s the thing: it is possible. You don’t need snow on the ground or carols in the air. What you need is a way in—a spark, a setting, a sound.

You just need to tap into something true, even if the season around you doesn’t match the one in your song.

Start with sound

Sometimes it’s music that leads the mood—not the other way around. Sleigh bells. Soft piano. Vintage textures. Warm vocal stacks. A subtle chime.

Creating a sound bed that hints at winter can help unlock images, emotions, or lyrical ideas that feel more connected to the season—even if your surroundings say otherwise.

Put on your favourite festive records, or score a scene in your mind like it’s a Christmas film. You might find yourself transported before you’ve written a single line.

Rethink what writing Christmas songs can mean

You don’t need to write about Santa, snowmen, or mistletoe—unless you want to.

Some of the most moving holiday songs don’t mention Christmas at all. They're about love, longing, connection, loneliness, family, hope, or loss. They capture something about the season without being bound to it.

So if writing a “proper Christmas song” feels intimidating, give yourself permission to write a winter song. Or a memory. Or a quiet reflection that just happens to take place on Boxing Day.

Set the scene, not the season

If you're struggling to summon the feeling, start small. Visualise a scene:

• A cup of tea going cold on the windowsill

• Fairy lights glowing in the corner of a darkened room

• A child counting presents under the tree

• Someone driving home in silence after a holiday gathering

Let yourself enter that moment fully. What’s being felt? What’s being held back? What’s unspoken?

Good songs don’t just describe the decorations—they reveal what’s happening underneath.

Find your version of “festive”

Maybe you're not into glitter and cheer. That’s okay.

There’s space for wry, bittersweet, even sad Christmas songs. There’s space for nostalgia with a twist. For indie lo-fi reflections. For soul-drenched ballads. For acoustic hush.

The world doesn’t need more copy-and-paste holiday tunes—it needs more songs that feel real.

So bring your voice to it. Your lens. Your experience of the season, whatever that may be.

Writing out of season is a skill worth building

It might feel strange at first—writing against your current backdrop—but it’s a valuable muscle to flex.

Because songwriting isn’t always about waiting for the mood to strike. Sometimes, it’s about stepping into a moment you’re not currently in and asking, What’s true here? What would I feel, if this were happening now? What do I remember?

So whether you're pitching, releasing, or just exploring, July might be the perfect time to write your next Christmas song—even if you're doing it in sandals.

💬 Over to you…

Have you ever written a Christmas song when it wasn’t Christmas?How did you get yourself in the right headspace—or did you just lean into the contrast?

I’d love to hear how you’ve approached writing out of season, and what helps you tap into a moment that feels far away.

Feel free to share your process, your challenges, or even a lyric you’re working on in the comments below.

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