If I'm not mistaken, the seasons down in Australia are opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is summer down there right now. If that is the case, then I've always wondered how you celebrate Christmas down there. Up here, as I'm sure you know, Christmas is in the middle of winter and Santa always flies around in his sleigh with 8 reindeer and lands on snowpacked rooftops and then slides down your chimney. However, since Christmas is in the middle of summer Down Under, what is Santa's M.O. in Australia? Does he fly around on a surfboard with 8 "Sheilas" and a case of Foster's and then just, like walk up to your patio or something? What other kinds of Christmas traditions do you have down there?

Being a Britich penal colony, we always used to do the full roast and trimmings. Sweltering Santas in Shopping Senters (er, I mean Centres ;) ) are still a fixture for the kids. Reindeer and sleigh was always the mode of transport, although someone wrote a song called "Six White Boomers" (boomers being kangaroos) to try and push the tradition off-track. Hasn't really worked, I gotta say.  :P

One tradition (with backpacker tourists at least) is to get sloshed (edit: p*ssed in Strine means drunk, not angry!  The silly swear filter changed it to "ticked" ::) ) on Bondi Beach and sunbake themselves lobster-red.  :D

Nowadays people are eating a bit lighter (a plate of prawns, a Greek tossed salad, maybe a whole fish on the barbie) and agonising about the Boxing Day Sales (either planning the assault, or moaning about the death of religion  ::) )

I figured it would still be santa on a sleigh with his reindeers because, after all, he does live in the North Pole!

Me mate Mark in Melbourne says they had christmas dinner on the beach (living right next to it as they do). Say's it's dead similar to how we have it in the Northern Hemisphere, however it's just.. hot.

Santa's sleigh is pulled by 8 kangaroos in Oz :)

and agonising about the Boxing Day Sales (either planning the assault, or moaning about the death of religion  ::) )


Not over in the west - its a public holiday and shops are closed.

Celebrations depend on the person.  I know heaps of folk who go the whole traditional roast in the middle of the day - despite 100F temps.

Others just do the BBQ and back yard thing, or picnic in Kings Park or on the beach.

Many do the Xmas tree and decorate the inside of the house. Team in my office started hanging tacky tinsel about 2 weeks ago and the big street decorations went up in the city centre 6 weeks ago.

Quite a few do the freaky "cover the entire outside of the house in lights and reindeer and santas" thing and the news stations hold competitions - as does the power company. http://www.westernpower.com.au/html/xmass_lights.html 

Personally I stopped celebrating the season when I was about 9 - once I discovered it was a tacky commercial present exchange program. I dont do gifts or xmas cards etc. I send out an end of year newsletter to friends and relatives.

I prefer to celebrate New Years Eve - for me its the beginning and end of something.  This year it coincides with my best friends 40th birthday so I am flying to sydney and have an evening full of surprises planned for him followed by the HUGE sydney midnight fireworks.

And because everyone else is busy sweating over roasts - I scored a seriously cheap xmas day flight there !!!!!

Not Christmas in Australia but a few years back, we spent Christmas in Puerto Rico. The funniest thing was the week after Christmas, we went to the local mall. Instead of having the kids sit on Santa's knee and have their pictures taken (which they did BEFORE Christmas), the kids had their pictures taken with the Three Wise Men. I just thought that was so funny.




Cat

Not Christmas in Australia but a few years back, we spent Christmas in Puerto Rico. The funniest thing was the week after Christmas, we went to the local mall. Instead of having the kids sit on Santa's knee and have their pictures taken (which they did BEFORE Christmas), the kids had their pictures taken with the Three Wise Men. I just thought that was so funny.
Cat


hahahaha. 

Its always interesting being somewhere so very different for a celebration isnt it.  When I was 8 or 9 my Mum and Dad took us to Singapore for xmas and Bali for New Year.

Ever since then I have always tried to be somewhere interesting for New Year.  My goal - when I win lotto - is to have new years eve on ice in Antarctica.  But the trip I want to do starts at $20,000 - so OUCH !  It will be a while before I achieve that goal !

I just wanted to say that this year (like I did last year) I will be going down to the Gold Coast and spending four days at the beach - and I can't wait.  The coast is so much cooler.  Seeing as we will be spending Christmas Day in a caravan park with limited cooking facilities, we are having a barbie.  No turkey or roast pork for us, just scotch steak and peppered sauce with a salad.

One tradition I could do without this year are the storms that normally strike at Christmas time.  I hate storms, and I just want them to hold off until I have arrived at the coast Christmas Eve.  I don't want to have to drive through one. That would freak me out too much.

My tradition is to sweat through it as I do every Christmas time  ::)

And to gnash my teeth when I turn on the TV to see movies of snow falling  ;D

:P