Christmas in Australia
Christmas is a major holiday in Australia, with 50% of the country identifying as Christian. Although it is celebrated by one and all as a melting pot of cultures mixing in their own style of celebrations and traditions.
I can sum up Christmas time in one word. HOT. Christmas is dead of Summer and storm season. The predicted temperature of Christmas day this year is 19-27 degrees Celsius in Brisbane. Last year the temperature reached 31 degrees Celsius!
For Christmas day celebrations you’ll find a lot of families in the pool, at the beach, local creeks or playing in the yard under a sprinkler playing with water toys. Anything to have a bit of fun while trying to keep cool.
Because of the heat we tend to steer away from serving hot foods and the biggest meal of the day is generally served during lunch time. You’ll find big platters of Prawns and salads. Baked Hams and a roast. During this time fruit in Australia is exceptional. Cherries are a Christmas winner. Most families have a neatly adorned Pavlova topped with a mix of their favourite fruits. Rum Balls are a delicious Christmas treat!
Santa has a very Australian flair and can be found donning a pair of boardies and thongs. There is a popular Australian Christmas Carol about Santa riding 6 White Boomers (Kangaroos) instead of Reindeer!
Because we have no snow to play with, we make do by creating sandmen instead of snowmen!
For anyone who finds Christmas difficult for whatever the reason may be; you aren’t alone and many people feel depressed over Christmas and the holiday period. We hope you can set aside some time to take care of yourself.