Lately, country trio Chapel Hart has been setting their own schedule. Last year on November 12, the band declared their own independence day—a celebration of doing things their way in the music business from that day on. And while the rest of us were gearing up for Independence Day last week, Chapel Hart declared Christmas in July!

Sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and first cousin Trea Swindle kicked off the celebration at the top of the month by launching their “Christmas in July” YouTube series, which each Wednesday this month will reveal secrets and news about their much-anticipated Christmas album, along with a dose of summertime holiday cheer. In the first Wednesday episode, they gave fans their first gift—the album title, which is (drumroll, please) a Hartfelt Family Christmas.

As Chapel Hart fans know, this band is all about family, and they’ve got a huge one.

In the big announcement video, Trea explains, “Christmas is the one time of year that all of the Harts from far and wide all come together and squee-e-e-e-e-ze into one house, and in the yard, and in the garage, and wherever else we’ll fit.”

The band’s favorite part of the holiday, Devynn breaks in, is the Hart family Christmas Eve party, which is “pretty much the famous Christmas Eve,” Danica interjects. “It’s family. It’s friends. I think people just learn about it over they years and they just show up,” Danica adds.

To prepare for the big day, the Hart family spends all week cooking, the trio shares. “Down South,” Danica says, “cooking is the way we say ‘I love you.’”

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When the band was planning their Christmas album, Devynn says, “We wanted to give you guys just a little glimpse into that Hart family Christmas party—our family tradition.” The title of the album sets the stage for just that.

Before signing off, Danica dropped one more major hint about what to expect on the album. “A lot of our fans know, friends for us become family so quickly,” she says. “If it’s a Hartfelt Family Christmas, you know we’ve got friends coming along with us on this album.”

At this point in the episode, Trea and Devynn hold Danica back from spilling any more juicy secrets, so if we want to know who those friends might be, we’ll just have to tune in to the @ChapelHart YouTube channel next Wednesday.

“We wanted to give you guys just a little glimpse into that Hart family Christmas party.”

In the comment section, fans could not contain their excitement. Here are a few of our faves:

  • “MERRY CHRISTMAS IN JULY... Ladies I Am So Ready... Thank Y’all So Much.”
  • “Great job, ladies! I can smell the home cooking already.”
  • “Spill the tea ladies, I’m all ears.”
  • “Can’t wait this is going to be my favorite Christmas album.”
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Terri Robertson

Terri Robertson is the Senior Editor, Digital, at Country Living, where she shares her lifelong love of homes, gardens, down-home cooking, and antiques.