Christmas in Australia is an upside-down, topsy turvy, higgledy piggledy kind of affair. It’s neither cold nor frosty, not wintry nor white. On the surface, it’s quite simply all wrong.
I’m a traditionalist at heart. Nothing beats a frozen white Christmas, the overdone festive build-up through the month of December, copious amounts of mulled wine and Christmas carolling, long walks through the country after a turkey feast with all the trimmings, and enough merry-making and yuletide fun and games to fill the darkening evening. This is my idea of the perfect Christmas holiday.
When I moved to the land down under, the concept of my ideal Christmas was turned on its head in typical Aussie fashion. Rather than spend my time curled up on the couch with the heating turned up high or snuggled under the duvet in my warm PJs, I now bake under a hot southern sun. I no longer wake up on the morning of the 25th to the sight of a frosted lawn or angry winter’s sky, but instead roll out of bed in my shorts, don my ‘thongs’, and confront a blistering summer’s morning. While most of the world is waking to the frigid cold, my Aussie pals and I spend Christmas cavorting in the semi-tropical heat.
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Sydney-Hobart yacht race |
Whilst my whole being rebels against the notion of a hot Christmas, I’ve come to appreciate the uniqueness of the situation and accept that this is the Australian way in its purest form – and it’s not without its pluses. While I might cherish the memory of a snowy Christmas setting, it’s not a bad substitute to open my pressies in the mid-morning warmth of a summer’s day, knowing that a lengthy day at the beach awaits me, that it won’t get dark until 9pm, and that my summer holidays have officially begun.
A ‘Chrissy’ in Oz has its own peculiar traditions, such as Christmas caroling by the water, beachside Christmas markets, the obligatory kilo of prawns served as an entree on Xmas Day then lashings of cold ham and turkey washed down with an Aussie Shiraz or Kiwi Cab-Sav thereafter. Families spend the afternoon together, but play outdoors beach cricket not indoor charades. Boxing Day is a lively affair with thousands either watching the Sydney to Hobart yacht race or the annual Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. As BBQs are fired up across the country, the sun shines and the heat rises.
Christmas also signifies the official start of the summer holiday season. Christmas for Australians is literally two days of public holidays, immediately followed by a long summer break. Once Boxing Day passes, many Australians disappear on their holidays, Christmas is quickly forgotten, there is no post-Boxing Day hangover, and a well-deserved rest lies ahead.
Australian Christmases are too short but very sweet, a little tacky but a lot of fun. The combination of public holiday then personal summer holiday is a bonus but it can come at the expense of any further holiday midway through the year. A Christmas Down Under is not ordinary for an Englishman and will probably never feel right, but then life is about new sensations so, for now, I’m happy to go with the flow.
As I bask in 30 degree heat, with sun cream on my body and cold beer in my hand, I think about Christmas, absent family and friends. Then I wonder how Santa feels when he hits these hot shores.
Does he wear his usual outfit or in fact wear board shorts?
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Surfin’ Santa |
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, wherever you may be, and have a wonderful 2011.
Of COURSE Santa wears board shorts! The red suit is just a Eurocentric tradition that we Aussies humour …
And we get two Xmases – the other one is celebrating all things traditional at Xmas in July!!
Happy travels!!
Haha very cool round up of the holiday season here in Oz. It’s so strange! Hope you had a lovely x-mas!
@ Red Nomad Oz – thanks for the clarification re. the Santa suit – I always felt that Father Chrissy looked better with his legs out! Happy travels to you too!
@ Brooke – great to hear from you, hope you had a fun Xmas. Mine was good but it’s all over now and we’re into the holiday season – nice! Hope to catch up soon…
Hi Russell,
Love your blog. I especially love your title picture! I’d so love a white Christmas one year. I love the cold and can’t stand the Aussie heat at Christmas time {or any other time}. Can’t wait to have a Christmas that’s cosy and snowy one day.
Kim
@ Kim – I’m hearing you! The Aussie heat can be a bit much after a while and I love the snow (not the ice) so am missing the snow (not the ice) at this time of year… I think I’ll aim for a cold Xmas next year!
Reading your posts makes me laugh and think about Aussie fashion!
stacye
Sunglasses
It’s so true – after tearing through presents it was time to go to the beach when we were in Sydney last year. I was like wait! Aren’t we supposed to sit inside, drink warm drinks, and bug the heck out of each other. I was sad – for 10 minutes – then the beautiful sun hit me. I think I could get used to seafood and sunburn for Christmas 🙂
@The Expatriate – It’s not hard to get used to seafood and sunburn for Christmas.
But there’s also something to be said about the grass always being greener elsewhere – even sat under the shining sun, you still find yourself pining for a little wintry Christmas cheer, a glass of mulled wine, some youthful carollers, maybe a mince pie or two, a frosty morning, Santa in his red trousers not shorts…….. 😉