Hot, Cheesy, and Full of Cheer: Why Christmas in July Mail Works

When most pizza places send mail, it’s a familiar scene: a tri-fold coupon sheet or a slick ad listing their menu items. Functional? Sure. Memorable? Rarely. But Five Star Pizza broke tradition in the most delightfully unexpected way — and that’s exactly why their “Christmas in July” greeting card earned a spot in our Inspo Collection.

This festive mailer didn’t just deliver deals — it delivered joy.

Packaged in a classic greeting card envelope, the piece instantly stood out from the usual stack of postcards and circulars. That alone piques curiosity: “Who’s sending me a card?” Inside, recipients were treated to a playful cartoon of a beachside Santa donning sunglasses and a festive Hawaiian shirt, enjoying a pizza picnic next to a palm-fringed Christmas tree. It was bright, colorful, and bursting with personality — a perfect visual escape during the summer heat.

Even better, Five Star paired the fun with function: a $10 gift card offer! No generic discount — this felt like a gift. The rhyming message, cheerful artwork, and holiday-in-July theme made the whole experience feel like more than just a promotion… it was a moment of delight in the mailbox.

Break Away From the Norm — and Be Remembered  

Five Star’s move is a brilliant example of disrupting expectations. In a sea of sameness, anything different wins attention. Greeting cards are typically associated with something personal and meaningful, which is why this format works so well for marketing. It’s not “junk mail” — it’s joy mail.

Want to replicate the magic? Here are a few creative formats to try:

• Greeting Cards: Perfect for showcasing brand personality or customer appreciation. Pair with a real message, not just a pitch.
• Mini Catalogs or Look-books: Great for product-based businesses who want to tell a visual story.
• Dimensional Mailers or Pop-Ups: Add a tactile, 3D element to surprise and engage.
• Die-Cut Postcards: Shape your postcard like your product — pizza slice, sunglass, coffee cup — and you’re instantly more memorable.
• Handwritten Notes (or lookalikes): A personalized touch can boost open rates and emotional response.
• Scratch-and-Sniff: Engage the sense of smell with scented coatings; great for food, fragrance, spa, but what about tires, leather, campfire, or dollar bills?
• Peel-to-Reveal: Use stickers, tabs, or hidden messages behind peel-away layers to gamify the experience or build curiosity.

The takeaway? Don’t be afraid to mail what people don’t expect. That surprise is your superpower.

Other Brands Bringing the Holiday Heat  

While Five Star’s campaign shines brightest, other brands often get in on the Christmas in July spirit, each in their own way.

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa went with a sleek, elegant red-themed mailer offering a discounted gift card for a massage or facial. The message was simple and direct, but the holiday theme gave it a timely hook, making it feel more like a seasonal opportunity than a year-round promo.

Meanwhile, Store Supply Warehouse embraced the theme with a bold, oversized postcard featuring colorful holiday gift bags at closeout prices. Visually, it mimicked the feel of a Black Friday ad, but the clever tie-in to Christmas wrapping supplies made it extra relevant — and maybe even helpful — for business owners planning ahead for the real holiday season.

While these campaigns didn’t lean as heavily into storytelling as the Five Star Pizza piece, they still demonstrate how brands can use seasonal framing to elevate an otherwise ordinary promotion.

Holidays Beyond the Calendar — Think Outside the (Gift) Box  

Another clever aspect of Five Star Pizza’s strategy? The use of a non-traditional holiday. “Christmas in July” is quirky, cheerful, and just unusual enough to make people pause — and that pause can turn into a purchase.

There are hundreds of lesser-known, made-up, or niche holidays that brands can leverage to create timely and fun campaigns, especially during slow marketing seasons when the mailbox isn’t overflowing. For example:

• National Dog Day (Aug 26) – Perfect tie-in for pet-related businesses (or just cute mascot mail!).
• National Lazy Day (Aug 10) – Ideal excuse to promote delivery, loungewear, or spa services.
• National Bacon Lovers Day (Aug 20) — Because bacon-scented mail should definitely be a thing!
• National Eat Outside Day (Aug 31) — Picnic-themed campaigns, al fresco dining spots, or meal kit brands could lean into this.
• National Cheese Pizza Day (Sept 5) — Five Star Pizza sequel mailer? Easy win for restaurants or food delivery tie-ins.
• Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept 19) — Fun for any brand with a playful tone — “Arrr you ready for savings?”

Create a campaign around one of these “holidays,” tie in your offer or product creatively, and send it when other brands are quiet. Your piece might be the only one in the mailbox — which means your chances of getting noticed go way up.

Bottom Line: Deliver More Than Just Discounts — Deliver Delight  

Five Star Pizza showed us that even an industry known for “same old” can flip the script. By combining a fun, seasonal twist with clever visuals, rhyme, and a tangible reward, they didn’t just stand out — they stuck in the recipient’s memory.

Lesson for marketers? If you want to win the mailbox, you don’t need a bigger budget — you need a bolder idea.

Want more ideas like this? Book a demo and get access to the Who’s Mailing What! database with 40+ years of mail mastery.