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What Is 'Summerween' and Can Christians Celebrate It?

  • Kayla Koslosky Former ChristianHeadlines.com Editor
  • Updated Aug 05, 2024
What Is 'Summerween' and Can Christians Celebrate It?

It’s not often that a new holiday enters the mainstream, but this year, “Summerween” seems to have cemented itself as the celebration of the summer. But what exactly is Summerween?

The holiday was created by Disney in a 2012 episode of its animated show “Gravity Falls.” In the cartoon, the town of Gravity Falls loves Halloween so much that they decide to celebrate it twice a year, with the second time being in summer, thus mashing “summer” and “Halloween” together to make “Summerween.” The holiday technically lands on June 22nd or the penultimate Friday of June, but revelers in the real world have taken to celebrating it all summer long.

Unlike actual Halloween, Summerween doesn’t usually include trick-or-treating or dressing in costume (though that latter part is up for debate), and instead, it leans into all things cozy and autumnal.

Popular activities include carving watermelons into jack-o-lanterns, planning a fall movie night, and decorating for fall or Halloween early. Just last weekend, I went to a friend’s house for a little Summerween celebration where we made pumpkin-shaped pizzas and green and purple sugar cookies, and watched a cozy Disney Halloween movie.

Now, Halloween will never be one of those things that Christians agree on. Some of us see it as a fun activity where we can dress up in costume and participate in community outreach by getting to know our neighbors, while others will stray away from the day because of its ties to magic, horror, and the Devil. But here’s the thing, Halloween is not one of our core issues. It’s not like we are debating whether Jesus actually lived and died and then rose again or if God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at once. These are core beliefs that Christians must agree on, but Halloween is not quite as clear-cut. So, from where I’m sitting, I say, celebrate responsibly. Don’t dwell on the bad that’s been twisted into the holiday, and instead, enjoy the coziness and use it as an opportunity to fellowship with others. The same can be said for Summerween, which honestly feels even more innocent since it’s a made-up holiday that people are seemingly participating in in droves because, let’s face it, the summer is hot and long, and many of us are waiting on baited breathe for the fall to come.

With all of that in mind, here are some ways Christians can participate in Summerween.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/AlekZotoff

  • Woman with mug and TV remote watching show or movie in fall candles

    1. Decorate for fall harvest early.

    I’ve got to level with you. I keep some of my fall decorations out all year long. Every summer, my seasonal affective disorder kicks in as I sit and anxiously wait for fall. So, the curb some of the summertime sadness, I put out a few pumpkins and black twisted candles. I don’t know if it works, but I'm choosing to believe it does.

    A few years back, the Swiss National Science Foundation conducted a study that found that exposure to colors can improve one’s mental health and reduce anxiety. Another study also showed that decorating early for the holidays boosts serotonin levels.

    So, put out the leaf garland and set a few pumpkins out around the house. Swap out your door wreath or may even make a mat for your front porch. Last year, I painted a mat with purple mountains and little bats flying around it. Simple, cute, and not too spooky, but still recognizable as a Halloween decoration.

    Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/OKrasyuk 

  • Cozy candles and popcorn for fall movie night

    2. Host a movie night.

    Load up on candy and popcorn and host a Summerween movie night. There are the obvious cozy Halloween movies like Halloweentown, The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, but then there are some less obvious choices. We have several articles highlighting horror movies with Christian themes and family-friendly scary movies, so I’ll just list a few of my go-to Halloween and Harvest-time films and shows.

    Up first is “Over the Garden Wall.” This cozy series is made up of 10 episodes that originally aired as shorts between full-length shows on Cartoon Network. It tells the story of two brothers who get lost in the woods on Halloween night and embark on a strange and whimsical journey to they find their way home. It’s cozy with a hint of spookiness and a sprinkle of humor. It’s currently streaming on Hulu. If you’re looking for something a little bit spookier, the “Goosebumps” films will do. In a way, they feel a bit like “Night at the Museum,” where things that shouldn’t come to life do. In this case, the terrifying and manacle creatures of R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” novels enter the real world, wreaking havoc on the town. This is currently streaming on Netflix.

    For my last recommendation, I’d like to offer up a classic Studio Ghibli film, Kiki’s Delivery Service. Now yes, this movie is about a witch, but at the root of it, this is a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Kiki who heads off on her own in an attempt to find her place in this world. And while on this journey she discovers that she could be of service to others by delivering goods around town via her broomstick. This cozy Hayao Miyazaki anime is a childhood favorite of mine, and I tend to revisit it at least once a year. It’s currently streaming on Max.

    Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Anastasiia Yanishevska 

  • Woman doing fall craft with leaves

    3. Make crafts mashing up fall and summer.

    During the COVID lockdowns, my family strove to find ways to switch things up while we were stuck at home. One way we did this was by having a “Christmas in July” celebration. We baked Christmas cookies, put up a little tree, and even made ugly Christmas tank tops in place of sweaters. Similar crafts can be made for Summerween. Instead of cozy autumn knits, make fall-themed tanks, t-shirts, or shorts. Whip out the fabric paint and bedeck your garments with all things pumpkin spice and maple leaves, or go more summery with your piece by trying hammered flower dying. Another fun craft is to buy a painting at the thrift store and add little ghosts or pumpkins and autumn leaves to the picture.

    Or maybe themed food is more your speed. Carve a watermelon or stuffed bell pepper, make leaf-shaped maple shortbread cookies, or pour yourself a hot cup of apple cider, spiced with a few cinnamon sticks. Lean into the coziness of autumn. Bonus points if you do all of these things during a summer rainstorm, where the sky is gray and the temperature drops just enough to make it bearable outside.

    Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Choreograph 

  • fire pit to illustrate prayer for safety halloween

    4. Have a bonfire night.

    Nothing screams summertime more than a late-night bonfire. But there is also something to fireside stories that feel very much like Halloween. So, when thinking of activities for a Summerween night, a bonfire felt like the natural choice. Gather your friends or family in the backyard and roast marshmallows over the fire pit. While you’re there, spin a tale or two, or sing some campfire songs.

    Turn the tradition of sharing scary stories around the fire on its head and instead share some favorite summertime memories, or maybe dream about the perfect summers you hope to have in the future. One of my favorite things to do is a compliment pile on. Go around in a circle and have each person share something they love about someone else in the group, perhaps whoever is standing next to them, so no one gets left out. In a world where there is so much negativity, it’s insurmountably important to tell the people we love how much we care for and admire them. So, take this opportunity to do just that.

    Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Carolina Jaramillo 

  • Family movie night, 7 new movies coming to streaming sites

    5. Throw a cozy autumn-themed party.

    As I mentioned above, I recently went to a Summerween party, where we put out black and orange Halloween decorations, made jack-o-lantern shaped pizzas and sugar cookies sprinkled with green and purple sugar crystals, and watched “Halloweentown II” on Disney Plus. Now, we leaned a little bit more into the Halloween of it all, but you could easily err on the side of autumn. Instead of jack-o-lanterns, just do pumpkins. Instead of ghosts and ghouls, decorate with leaves and acorns. Scrap the Halloween movie for a cozy Hallmark or Great American Family mystery.

    Basically, if you follow all the previous suggestions—decorating, cozy crafting, picking out a fall movie, and hosting a bonfire—you’ve got yourself a pretty fun party. As a cosplayer, I will almost always be team costume party. Have your guests dress up as their favorite book or movie characters. Set a theme and do one big group costume. Or, if costumes aren’t your thing, throw on some soft pajamas and fuzzy socks and settle in for the night.

    So, if we’ve learned anything here, it is that Summerween is all about romanticizing the cool weather and spooky vibes or cozy atmosphere of the Autumn when Summer becomes too hot and too humid to handle.

    Photo Credit: ©Getty Images Evgenyatamanenko 

    Kayla Koslosky is the former Editor of ChristianHeadlines.com. She has B.A. degrees in English and History and previously wrote for and was the managing editor of the Yellow Jacket newspaper. She has also contributed to IBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com.