Most of the world dreams of the Christmas season as a white wonderland — building snowmen, drinking hot chocolate and eggnog, and getting visits from a certain Claus in a red coat. However, for those living in the Southern Hemisphere, the month of December falls during the summer season, and Saint Nick is welcomed not with snow and ice, but with beachside barbecues and plenty of AC.
Despite the differing temperatures, Christmas in Australia is celebrated to the same extent as in most of the Northern Hemisphere.
Many of Australia’s original immigrants came from Britain and Ireland. They refused to pull a Scrooge and abandon the season’s good cheer — and presents — despite the sweltering heat.
Australia Post still sees a 20%+ swell in postage from all the Christmas cards getting sent around the country. Christmas trees still take center stage beside chimneys and fireplaces, awaiting a visit from Father Christmas.
Yuletide Shrimp On The Barbie
One Christmas in Australia tradition that needed an alteration, however, was the holiday dinner.
As delicious as it is to eat, oven-roasted turkeys and ham aren’t much fun to cook when the temperature outside is already over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Instead of the traditional family Christmas dinner, many Aussies gather in big groups on the beach for a lunchtime barbecue picnic.
Prawns, lobsters, and cold meats take center stage, surrounded by salads and apple and cranberry sauces.
Following the main course, people get ready for a game of cricket or take to the water for a quick surf or swim break. After a couple of hours — once enough scores have been settled and waves ridden — it’s time to bring dreams of a white Christmas to life.
Not with snow, however (unless you get lucky on top of Mount Hotham in Victoria). Instead, Australians get iced with dessert platters featuring white-colored sweets like frosted rice krispies, cold vanilla ice cream, and apple pie with cloves.
Another addition on the table might be a traditional Australian Christmas pudding. These desserts are similar to their English counterparts but have one important addition: gold.
Back in the 1800s, many Europeans who immigrated to Australia worked in gold mines. As a result, miners would bake a small golden nugget into their yearly puddings.
Whoever bit into the pudding was said to receive good luck in the upcoming year — even if the nugget broke your tooth. Today, small coins often substitute for real nuggets.
While this Australianized meal is enough to tide most over for the year, those craving a traditional white Christmas pull out the ugly sweaters and fire up a turkey for a wintery Christmas in July.
Carols By Candlelight
The warm weather doesn’t take away from all Christmas traditions. Without the risk of noses and voice boxes freezing, warm-weather caroling has become another popular tradition.
The same miners who stuffed their puddings with gold also stuffed candles into their hard hats and took to their neighbors in song. Nowadays, the “Carols by Candlelight” tradition continues with massive groups gathering on blankets in the park, holding candles, singing songs, and celebrating peace on Earth and goodwill towards all — the main theme of the night.
Most towns and cities host a caroling event the week before Christmas. The biggest celebrations in Melbourne and Sydney are televised nationwide.
The night air bustles with melodies from traditional carols like “Deck the Halls” and “Away in a Manger,” as well as Australia’s own classics like “Chorus of the Birds,” “White Wine in the Sun,” and “Six White Boomers.”
“Six White Boomers” is a particularly noteworthy song, as it answers the question of how Santa delivers presents to Aussie children in a climate unsuitable for reindeer. The lyrics go:
When Santa Claus delivers his presents
He’s not taken around by reindeer because
They can’t stand the terrible heat
He’s taken around by six big, white old man kangaroos
Called the six white boomers.
Divine Decorating
Without sprinkles of snow on the ground or poinsettias in bloom, Aussies needed another way to show their Christmas spirit. Being the middle of summer, finding a replacement plant was no trouble for innovative Australians.
They have their very own Christmas Bush, the Ceratopetalum gummiferum. This tall green plant produces bright red flowers right over the Christmas season and can be found in bouquets and wreaths along with Christmas bellflowers, ferns, and palm leaves.
The lack of snow proved to be a slightly more harrowing obstacle. Many Australians turn their attention to the skies instead of the ground for holiday aesthetics.
Decorating houses with Christmas lights becomes a massive display across the country. Families spend days decking out their homes and touring neighborhoods to see others’ creations.
The crowning piece of these homely collections belongs to David Richards, a lawyer from Canberra who holds the Guinness World Record for Christmas lights. He first set the record in 2011, putting up 331,038 lights across his house and lawn.
The following year, a family in New York snatched the record. This year, the competitive Australian decided not to back down.
He expanded his display to include a 50-meter (164-foot) canopied walk-through and 502,165 record-reclaiming bulbs. Guinness officials confirmed the record not by counting bulbs, but by referencing store receipts.
The Richards family was inspired to create such an extravagant display to raise money for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). David and his wife lost a child to the syndrome ten years ago and decided to charge admission to their spectacle.
The effort proved worth the cost of equipment and the $2,500 electricity bill increase. In 2011, the family raised $78,000 — more than their total expenditure.
Not only the Richards family, but the entire nation proves that regardless of who you are or where you live, the spirit of Christmas is the most important aspect of the season — something Santa can appreciate from both his sleigh or a surfboard.
