Christmas in Australia

Christmas in Australia is a summer Christmas, so the holidays which are separate in the northern hemisphere come together in the southern hemisphere . So many emails have come asking questions about Christmas in Australia that I've written a page to help you. This page is intended to give you some general information to help with school projects/assignments. Please bear in mind that it has been written by an individual, not a giant corporation with a zillion elf employees - I can't do your assignments for you (or answer general Christmas questions like, "What is Twelfth Night?")! You can also learn a lot from the story, Darcy's Christmas, which is on this site. I think it's great. But then, I would.

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TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
There is no one standard Australian Christmas: it's a family time, as it is everywhere. People have come to Australia from many different countries and brought their traditions with them. Cards and presents are exchanged. Carols are sung, and carols by candlelight events are held in many communities. Church services are held during and at Christmas, including midnight services on Christmas Eve. Christmas trees and Christmas lights decorate homes and businesses and streets. Many charities have Christmas appeals and activities.
Santa Claus/Father Christmas is as popular as he is throughout the world, though he is sometimes pictured in swimming costume and a cool drink may be left out for him because of the warm weather. There are Santas in shops and at Christmas events, and many shopping centres have photo-with-Santa places.
As with Christmas anywhere, families have their own traditions. Given that it's summer here, they may be the traditional family relay in the swimming pool, or the traditional family water pistol fight, or the traditional family game of backyard cricket.
The Boxing Day Test Match (cricket game beginning on the day after Christmas) and the beginning of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race on Sydney Harbour (also on Boxing Day) are two sporting events of significance which happen each Christmas. Other people spend Boxing Day travelling to their summer holiday destinations.
School finishes a week before Christmas for the summer break and resumes after Australia Day on 26 January.
DECORATIONS AND SYMBOLS
Many Christmas decorations and symbols are the same as you find in the US or Europe: holly, snow scenes, Dickensian Christmas images of turkeys and plum puddings and so on, even though these don't represent the reality of Christmas weather/plants in many parts of Australia.
Houses aren't as heavily decorated with greenery as happens in parts of the US, perhaps because, being summer, you can spend time in the outdoors. Some people put Christmas wreaths on their front doors. In some areas there is a long tradition of every house in the street having Christmas lights, and people come to see the decorations.
Real holly and mistletoe are hard to find, as they are out of season, but NSW Christmas bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum) and Christmas bells (Blandfordia) are two native plants used for decoration which are in season. Christmas bush is illustrated in close up and on the tree on this link .
If your project requires you to make an 'Australian' Christmas decoration, here are some ideas:
? a Santa in swimmers (eg. those Edwardian stripe neck to knee ones)
? a map of Australia cut out of cardboard/balsa wood and wrapped in tinsel parcel-style
? an Australian animal such as a koala/kangaroo (cardboard/balsa/felt/stuffed toy)
? an Australian animal suchas a koala/kangaroo given a Santa hat and scarf
? Christmas bells (the plant) aren't hard to draw or colour - here is a site with a picture of Christmas bells .
? an Australian icon such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House or ferry
Australian trees have wooden decorations, and glass ones, and tinsel and garlands etc. as you find anywhere, with the fairy/angel/star at the top. Threaded cranberries or popcorn aren't seen much, but everyone has the wobbly beautiful decorations their kids have made.
SONGS AND CHRISTMAS MUSIC
Traditional carols such as Once in Royal David's City and O Little Town of Bethlehem are sung in Australia, and Bing Crosby croons about a white Christmas in airconditioned shopping centres. Carols from Kings (lessons and carols) is broadcast on TV every Christmas, and a huge Carols by Candlelight from the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. David Jones' department store in Sydney has a staff choir whose fine music fills the ground floor with an eager audience for a half hour each morning throughout December.
There are many productions of Handel's Messiah from amateur and professional groups around Australia. Radio Community Chest, a charity providing support to the needy of Sydney, has presented Messiah at Christmas time in the Sydney Town Hall for over 50 years with a choir of over 500 voices drawn from church choirs throughout Sydney.
Australian Christmas music includes The Carol of the Birds, The North Wind, Six White Boomers, Santa never made it into Darwin and other music. The albums Aussie Christmas with Bucko and Champs volumes I and II include these songs together with an Aussie version of Jingle Bells and other new Christmas songs too. Find out more at Colin Buchanan's place. To the best of my knowledge all the titles mentioned are copyright, so the lyrics aren't available freely on web sites (or if they are, someone's infringed copyright).
CHRISTMAS FOOD
There is a lot of choice. Some go for the English style, hot turkey and Christmas pudding etc, some people have seafood buffet-style or cold turkey and ham and salads, some people draw on the cornucopia of choice and have things from various traditions. Panforte and panettone are almost as readily available as Christmas cake. Mince pies are around too, but heavy in the summer heat. Ice cream Christmas pudding (good vanilla icecream with nuts and fruit mince or dried fruit and peel and then choc bits mixed in) is one way round the traditions and the heat. Put it in a pudding bowl, refreeze and dip the bowl in hot water to 'unmould' it.
Some people have their large meal at lunchtime, some in the evening. More people eat at a family home than travel to the beach or other public place.