Have you always yearned for fairy tale winter Christmas? Well, if you’re an Australian – you’ve got two options: book an expensive end-of-year flight to Europe, or make the most of Australian winter and throw a Christmas in July celebration.

When it comes to the latter, we’re here to help. We’ve appointed ourselves as unofficial sponsors of Christmas in July 2022, and teamed up with our rewards partner Menulog to give you a stress-free celebration. That means you can spend less time fretting about menus and more time trying to work out exactly what eggnog is.

To help guide your celebrations, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite festive picks for all sorts of personalities, all of which can be delivered directly to your door.

You know what’s even better? Make 3 orders with Menulog over $25 each between 15 July 2022 – 15 August 2022¹, and you’ll also score a $25 Menulog credit.

Plus you’ll get 2,000 Virgin Money Points for each order² when you shop using your Go Account (capped at 3 orders per month, per cardholder). Three orders later and that’s a total of 6,000 points!

You can then redeem your points for $27 straight back to your account, or a $30 gift card from THE ICONIC, Woolworths, (or a stack of other partners).

How’s that for Christmas coming early? 

Salad dodger

This one is for our readers who’ll eat anything (as long as it isn’t green). Did you know that millions of Japanese families mark Christmas with a KFC feast? It’s a thing.

The national passion for celebrating the season with a bucket of finger-lickin’ chicken dates back to the ‘70s, when Takeshi Okawara, the manager of Japan’s first KFC, dreamt up a Christmas promo – a ‘party barrel’ of chicken and sides. It proved so popular that nowadays, you need to get your Christmas order in up to a month in advance.

Fortunately, as an Australian celebrating Christmas in July, there’s no need to be that organised ­– your Christmas feast is just a swipe away. 

Side-dish slayer

Variety is the spice of life. We know it, you know it. Why tie yourself to a single dish when you can live life to the full, mixing, matching and sampling? Some would say you’ve got commitment issues – but they’d be wrong. You just want to live life to the fullest, to savour everything it offers.

For the grazers, might we suggest an assemblage of sides? Maybe some nachos and quesadillas from Guzman y Gomez, hot chips from Red Rooster or Nandos, some party pies from Pie Face, and rice paper rolls courtesy of Roll’d. Is it a conventional Christmas dinner? No, but convention can be boring – and who wants that?

Green machine 

All our vegetarian, vegan, and flexitarian friends are always welcome at our Christmas table. If you’re omitting meat, there are still stacks of delicious meals you can get delivered. First up, it’s hard to go past Lord of the Fries – whose entire menu is vegan friendly. Christmas is a time of indulgence, so we’d opt for the halal snack pack for maximum comfort eating – it’s the perfect winter choice.

Otherwise, Crust has a whole range of plant-based protein pizzas (if you ask nicely, maybe they’ll add a ranch-sauce Christmas star). Grill’d also have an extensive vegan and vegetarian range of Impossible burgers. 

Dessert destroyer 

Christmas in July is sweet, but you know what’s sweeter? A treat buffet. If you’re the kind of person who always leaves room for ice cream – then Menulog has more than enough to ensure you get your just desserts.

The hardest part is going to be deciding what to order. If ice cream hits your sweet spot, we’ve got options from Ben & Jerry’s, Baskin Robbins, and Cold Rock (add red and green sprinkles to your order for some Christmas flair).

Or there’s The Cheesecake Shop (which also has plenty of vegan and gluten-free options), Krispy Kreme and Donut King if you’re craving something cake-y. You could also spice things up with San Churro  – we recommend the Fiesta option for a little of everything.

Liquid luncher 

It’s not called the festive spirit for nothing. If you fancy a Christmas in July tipple, Menulog has plenty of options – from local bottle shops to national chains.

In keeping with the winter Christmas theme, we’d suggest mixing up some glühwein (literally German for ‘glow wine’), a hot, spicy mulled wine concoction that’s sure to warm you up. It’s easy to make – just ensure you’re using a full-bodied red, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Burgundy. You can also use fruit juice and spices to create a non-alcoholic version with a very similar flavour profile.

Whatever you prefer, fill a glass and raise a toast to (early) Christmas – and get ready to do it all again in six months.

Ready to celebrate Christmas in July? Visit the Virgin Money app to order now. Don’t forget to click on the Menulog offer in the Rewards Hub via the app and use your Go Account at the checkout to score your points. T&Cs apply.

Important Stuff:

_{1.   Offer is available from 12:01 AEST on Friday 15th July 2022, and expires at 11:59 AEST on Monday 15th August 2022. To be eligible for the $25 Menulog credit, you must make a minimum of 3 (three) settled orders, with a minimum spend of $25 per order. You must click on the Menulog offer link within the Virgin Money app and pay with your Virgin Money Debit Visa card, linked to your Go Account at the checkout. Payments made through platforms such as Afterpay, Zip or PayPal are not eligible. Orders cancelled or refunded will not be eligible. The $25 Menulog credit will be sent to the email associated with your Go Account and will be sent within 14 days of the end of the campaign period. Offer cannot be exchanged for any other goods and/or services or redeemed for cash.}

_{2.  2,000 Virgin Money Points will be credited to your Virgin Money Rewards Account when you spend a minimum of $25 with Menulog during the offer period. Offer expires 15 August 2022. Virgin Money reserves the right to amend or withdraw this offer at any time without notice. To be eligible for the 2,000 Virgin Money Points, you must access the partner site through the link provided in the Virgin Money app and pay with your Virgin Money Visa Debit card. Orders that are cancelled or refunded will not be eligible for points. Excludes voucher codes, gift cards, cashback and coupon deals.}