Christmas in Australia?

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C.C

Its is hot as you have already been told. Our Christmas usually has a BBQ, and a swim. Lots of salads and cool drinks. Wearing clothes in Christmas colours and funny Santa hats. Bon Bons on the table, arguing kids that have had too much sugar. Sleeping Grandparents. And BEER!
Can't wait!
Merry Christmas, hope the speech goes well.

Ange!!

It gets very hot in Australia at Christmas time.Because of the heat a lot of Aussie families stay away from the traditional hot roasts and now go for cold meats,salads,bbq's and also seafood.Sweets at christmas for my family always consists of Christmas pudding with custard or cream,a good old trifle with plenty of brandy in it,and also a pavlova.Because everyone is still full if anyone is hungry come tea time it's leftovers for tea.
We have plenty of beer,champagne,punch for the kids and also the good old water for in between drinks.
But while all the celebrations are going on we always have the first day of the MCG Boxing day test on TV..

Elizabeth

Our family have cold meats, salads, cold prawns and other seafood for lunch and a BBQ for our evening meal. For dessert we have some or all of the following: pavlova, Christmas pudding, trifle and cheesecake. For drinks we have punch, beer and other alcoholic drinks.
In our family we open our gifts on Christmas morning, some people open their gifts on Christmas Eve. Then of course there are the pre-Christmas visits to friends and extended family to exchange gifts or just to have a Christmas drink.

We decorate our house inside and out. We have a Christmas tree, mistletoe, garlands and a wreath on the front door etc.
I think we have about 100 sets of lights etc with which we decorate our house and front yard. Lots and lots of families come by each Christmas to see the lights.
We, as a nation, have Santa but also celebrate by going to Christmas church services and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve many people attend midnight mass or communion service (what you call it depends on which church they belong to) together as a family group. I love the midnight service. For many of us other than weddings and funerals Christmas is one of the few times we go to church.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas where ever you are.

This website is full of information about Christmas here.
Just click on the blue links -
Christmas in the southern hemisphere
The heat of early summer in Australia has an impact on the way that Australians celebrate Christmas and on which northern hemisphere Christmas traditions are followed.
http://www.culture.gov.au/articles/christmas/

On of our major traditions is "Carols by Candlelight", it started in Melbourne in 1938.

Origin - One Christmas Eve in 1937, as radio veteran, the late Norman Banks MBE, strolled along historic St Kilda Road in Melbourne after a late night radio shift.

As he walked, he noticed an elderly woman sitting up in bed by her window, her face lit only by a candle. She had a radio beside her and was singing along to the Christmas carol, â€œAway in a Mangerâ€. It was at this moment that Banks was inspired to create the first gathering of people to sing carols by candlelight.

For more than 65 years Carols by Candlelight has been part of the Australian Christmas tradition.
Carols by Candlelight events are celebrated in communities all across Australia.
Not all C by C events are held on Christmas Eve.

â™¥liv

Well, obviously it's super hot at Christmas, so everyones in shorts and singlets and thongs.

The christmas tree is decorated on the first weekend in December. It looks terrible really, covered in old crap we've made at kinder and school. We decorate the house with lights outside and various other decorations inside, wreath on the door.

One night leading up to Christmas we usually go for a drive around to look at the houses around that get REALLY into it with their whole house lit up.

We have carols all over the place, many churches and schools put on a carols night where you go and sing (I Haven't been to one since primary school) for a few weeks before Christmas. The Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne has a huge one every Christmas Eve with famous singers and Ray Martin (local TV guy) hosts it every year, it's broadcast around at least Victoria, not sure if it's national, I guess so.

You're supposed to go to sleep early but of course the kids stay awake late out of excitement and a hope to see Santa or hear bells.

On Christmas Day-
We get up early, open the presents in our stockings from Santa, then open the presents from the family under the tree. We get to pick a 'special' breakfast for Christmas and on our birthdays in my house, usually it's coco pops or fruit loops. So we eat and play with our new cool stuff, then get ready to go.

Usually Christmas day we spend with my Dad's family, then boxing day with my mums. Normally it's at my nana and pops so we'll go there and sit around with a beer and chips until lunch is ready (or we do presents first I can't actually remember...I think maybe it depends on how anxious us kids are to get stuck into them!).

For lunch we'll have seafood, maybe some lobster and prawns for my dad and uncle and nana as they love it, for the rest of us ther'll be turkey, pork, lamb, parsnip puff (this baked thing with parsnip and cheese and crumbs on top), brocolli and cauliflower, carrots, baked potatoes. Dessert usually includes a pavlova, nanas famous christmas pudding (which noone actually like to eat except nana and my mum), and maybe a cheesecake. After lunch we do presents (if we didn't do them before) and then sit around feeling full and tired.

Then the next day we pretty much do it over again!

A lot of people go to the beach on Christmas Day, which would be so fun. We have a holiday house on the beach, maybe we should go there next year...

Damo

freakin hot, temp range in between 35-45degs (90-120F) middle of QLD. Which usually means one thing, the cooler you can remain the better you will enjoy the day... Airconditioning when open pressies and preparing food, cold beer (n water), beach or pool when outside enjoying the day..

Food: Cold Meats (Chicken, beef, turkey) salads, prawns..

Tradition: Usualy cricket on the beach with the family, or BBQ in backyard if not near the Beach.

Bingalee

It is usually hot, though we sometimes experience a cool Christmas. My family have always had the traditional roast turkey & ham, with roast & steamed vegetables, gravy etc. We are not big dessert eaters so that isn't high on our list of afters. If anyone wants dessert it is usually fruit & ice cream. We have champagne, beer, & Christmas crackers/bon-bons to pull. the day begins with a hurried breakfast of whatever you fancy & then the presents are unwrapped by the tree. If it's hot we will swim in our pool. A light meal at night is usually eaten by those brave enough to face more food!

A very Merry Christmas from Australia.

captain kwa

lots of people have seafood or a BBQ on the beach instead of the traditional christmas lunch. also, we don't put shrimps on the barbie, we call shrimps prawns. so it's put a prawn on the barbie.

Power Flower

It's always HOT! We always have cold turkey, prawns, crab, salad, cherries, mangoes, beer, beer, beer. There's always a swim at the beach. It's a pretty relaxed affair. Many Christmas cards here depict santa wearing red and white boardshorts riding a sleigh pulled by kangaroos!

Meg C

the weather is the opposite to the northern hemisphere. it's not snowing, it's boiling. some families do have the traditional roast, but seafood is very popular also. we have christmas trees, santa clause and all that too.
but australia is very multi-cultural so not everybody celebrates it.
we have christmas mass, but not at midnight, at 6pm on christmas eve.

Liv R

Well usually when it's christmas time its boiling here but at the moment we've been having a lot of rain..... Well usually all we have for christmas is some potato salad, chicken schnitzel, salad, pasta..... but I'm not sure if thats what everyone else would have.....
good luck on the speech!!

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