All planners know the importance of looking ahead—the earlier the details fall into place, the less stress one has to deal with as the event nears.

A smattering of event venues have started holding receptions decorated for holiday parties to give planners an idea of what a holiday event would look like there and to have soirees booked far in advance. We know Christmas in July sounds crazy, but it really is a planner’s dream. With all the heat and sunshine, winter feels light-years away.

One such venue is River Roast in Chicago. The M+E team took a walkthrough (and ate delicious apps—thanks River Roast!) to get a feel of how planners could use the space during the colder months. It was 86 degrees and holidays were nowhere in our minds, but it was fun to see what the team there imagined a holiday event would look like.

Now is the perfect time to start planning such events. Venues might have more availability and taking walkthroughs will help immensely in designing any holiday events you might have in the pipeline. Talk to local venues and places you’re interested in to see if they would be able to show you what a Christmas or holiday party would look like.