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Australian Christmas

Oct 24th, 2010 by Christmas Lights | 0

Australia is the only country in the world that is its own continent – it is completely surrounded by ocean. While people in Australia celebrate Christmas very similarly to people in the United States, there is a significant difference – the weather. Australia is literally at the bottom of the world, so the seasons are reversed. While families in Michigan enjoy icy white Christmases, families in Australia enjoy nice, warm summer holidays and many families living in coastal areas celebrate Christmas on the beach.

Christmas stockings are more likely to be left at the foot of the bed than in front of the fireplace. Very few homes in Australia actually have fireplaces, which means very few homes in Australia have mantels to hang stockings on. And many families don’t put out stockings at all. In this case, Santa Claus and family members alike simply place Christmas gifts under the Christmas tree. Christmas holidays in Australia occur during the long summer holiday – the school year finishes in mid December and the new school year starts sometime around the last week of January.

A Christmas feast in Australia may be in the traditional format, or may be tailored to the season (mid summer). Many families in Australia barbecue their Christmas dinner on an outdoor grill, in the backyard, or at the beach. Many others still have the classic turkey feast with cranberry sauce and all the trimmings. And a third option is a feast of cold cuts (turkey, ham, etc.), as well as seafood platters featuring prawns (shrimp) and crab or lobster.

“Carols by Candlelight” is a Christmas tradition in which hundreds or sometimes thousands of people gather around at a local park or school in the evening to sing Christmas carols by candle light. Carols by Candlelight is now celebrated around the world in cities large and small, but it first originated in Melbourne, Australia in 1937. It was the brain child of Australian radio announcer Norman Banks, who saw a woman listening to Christmas carols by herself by the light of a candle one night, and felt the desire to relieve people of the loneliness they may have felt in the past during the Christmas season when they don’t have very many other people to celebrate the holiday with. To the people in Australia, the program is an excellent representation of hope and love, and big things starting out as something small. In Australia, Carols by Candlelight traditionally takes place on Christmas Eve, but is also commonly celebrated on an evening in the week or two prior to Christmas.

Christmas trees are found in almost every home over the Christmas season. They are often decorated on 1st December, and remain so until after Christmas. Many homes use artificial trees, either in the traditional green, or in silver or gold. Real trees tend to go on sale closer to Christmas for those families who prefer the real thing. They are pine trees, and generally have a similar general shape to the Northern Hemisphere Christmas tree, but the branches angle upwards at at least a 45 degree angle. They generally tend to be fairly tall and bushy.

Christmas Day sees children riding new bikes and playing with outdoor toys around the neighbourhood. Those families with swimming pools often congregate around the pool for a leisurely afternoon with family and friends following Christmas lunch.

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