Despite the cold blast Australia felt in Spring, it seems Summer is finally on its way. Christmas in the southern hemisphere is so different to that of the north as we have opposite seasons. Although many of us may have grown up watching Disney and Hollywood movies with cold and snow-struck Christmas, the Christmas down under in Australia are far from it. The hot summer days, long daylight hours and heat-waves are the exact opposite. However, that does not take away the unique Christmas spirit you feel in Australia this time of the year. Let’s explore more.
Christmas Day
While it’s common to celebrate Christmas Eve in Europe, in Australia it’s more accepted to gather on Christmas Day (25 December). Some members of the community might attend church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day – if you’d like to do this, there’s bound to be a church near you that you can visit.
Most super markets are shops are closed on Christmas day. If you are planning to buy anything last minute to take to a guest, make sure you plan ahead. Talking about guests, let’s talk about food.
Food
Australians often celebrate Christmas Day by enjoying a Christmas lunch or dinner with their closest family and friends. The meal usually consists of a selection of hot and cold dishes, including fresh seafood. Even though Christmas falls during summer, many families will enjoy roast turkey, hot sides and rich Christmas pudding on the day.
If you’re celebrating with a group of friends on Christmas Day, you could consider doing a ‘pot luck’. This means everyone can bring a dish to share, and the responsibility of hosting doesn’t have to fall on one person’s shoulders. Why not ask guests to bring a traditional Christmas dish from their home country?
Gifts
It’s common practice to give and receive presents in Australia. This is generally kept between family and friends, although you could consider giving a small gift or card to an employer, manager, or anyone else you’d like to show your appreciation to.
If you’re keen to take part in Christmas gift-giving but want to save some cash, consider hosting a Secret Santa. This involves gathering a group of three or more, placing everyone’s name in a hat, and getting each person to pick out a name. You then set a budget (say, $20 per gift), and everyone has to buy a gift for their designated recipient. You then swap gifts on Christmas Day, either anonymously or with a personalised card attached. It’s a simple and fun way to make sure everyone gets a gift, without the huge financial burden of Christmas shopping.
Shops
Yes they are mostly closed on Christmas day! Some of convenience stores are open on Christmas day making it the place to duck in to if you need anything quick.
The break for retail staff is just temporary though, the mad craze of boxing day sales comes around on 26th of December when many shops slash their prices and you can pick some good bargains.
Public transport
Although public transport will operate on Christmas and in some states and territories it could be free transport, bear in mind they may run on holiday timetable. This means the frequency of busses, trains and trams may be relatively low.