My 2015 Christmas was much, much different to the Christmas I had the year previous in super sunny Australia! For that Christmas I traded in my cosy Christmas jumper for a Christmas Tee. So after experiencing both, how does an Australian Christmas compare to a traditional cold Christmas here in Britain? Here’s how:
What Australia has got right:
1.The Beach
You have time off over Christmas, the days are long and the weather is hot, hot, hot! So the Beach is a pretty great place to be with your friends and family.
You can even wear your Aussie Christmas gear:
2. Dining Al Fresco
On Christmas day we had breakfast, dinner and dessert outside. In fact we spent the whole day outside. This means we didn’t run out of space round the dining room table, no one had to be designated to sit on the piano stool, and no one’s elbows went into my Christmas dinner – Huzzah! Aussies have a lot of garden and a lot of garden furniture – plenty of room for those big family get togethers!
3. Making things that aren’t Christmassy, Christmassy
Poor Australia, I feel when it comes to Christmas they are a bit left out. When we think of Christmas we think ‘snow, snowmen, robins, reindeer, Christmas Tree, Santa in his big winter suit.’ These are images we see everywhere at Christmas time. So it feels so odd when you’re standing in a supermarket in shorts and flip flops, surrounded by giant decoration snowflakes, baubles, and a guy in a full Santa suit and you’re deciding whether to get wrapping paper with Santa’s sleigh on or an overweight Robin sitting in the snow, when all the while it’s 40C outside!
Saying that, some Aussies do try to represent a more accurate ‘Australian Christmas’ and I very much enjoyed seeing the odd Surfing Santa, building Sandmen (not snowmen), wearing a Christmas tee and using a snow globe cool cup!
What Australia hasn’t got right (yet):
1. Cheesy, awfully amazing Christmas songs
Maybe it was just me but I really didn’t hear those Christmas classics. No Wham, no Slade, no Wizard, not a note from Cliff Richard! None of these songs in every damn shop I went in from December 1st. And I really missed it!
2. Mulled Wine and Advocat
Now I do get why there’s no steaming hot mulled wine, but no Advocat?! None of the ‘bottle shops’ I searched had even heard of it! Is it really Christmas without a snowball at 8am on Christmas morning? I’m really not sure.
3. Getting in shape for Christmas
Christmas is about eating and then eating some more right? Oh and of course some other stuff about love, kindness and spreading the joy etc…
The beach is great, but not on actual Christmas Day! Who wants to go after over indulging in Christmas lunch? Put me in a woolen jumper and let me sit in front of the T.V eating Quality Street, despite being uncomfortably full. Thanks.
All in all an Aussie Christmas certainly was an interesting one. One I wouldn’t be opposed to celebrating again, but mainly for the novelty factor.
Until then I’ll stick with a traditional winter Christmas in Ol’ Blighty:
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