Most of the traditions we know and are familiar with have come from the Northern Hemisphere, where kids play with snow and families feast on turkey, warm puddings and fruitcake. Since Christmas happens during summer in Australia, we embrace the holiday season in blistering heat and get as far as we can get from long-established traditions. Let’s look at some of our favourite summer Christmas experiences.
BBQ
Family, friends, cold drink and freshly caught seafood outdoors at a BBQ are some of the best things about Christmas in Australia. If you don’t own a grill, fret not as Australia has a love affair with the outdoor grill, so free public BBQs can be easily found in nearby parks. It speaks of the Australian way of life and our love for the outdoors.
Seafood
It’s no surprise that 40% of prawn consumption happens over Christmas here in the land Down Under. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the summertime, so expect lots of seafood, meats served as cold cuts, awesome salads, BBQ fare and yummy desserts.
Mangoes and Cherries
Sweet luscious mangoes and plump cherries are in season and are perfect to liven up any drink, dessert or salad.
Beach
Spending Christmas somewhere warm and welcoming, where you can feel sand under your feet and the sun on your skin, while sipping on margaritas, trumps freezing to death in snow-covered landscapes anytime. Christmas at the beach also means you can exchange jumpers and uncomfortable outfits for swimmers, t-shirts and shorts. The best part about a beach Christmas is how much fun you can have – play volleyball or cricket, swim, surf, alter traditions and build yourself a sandman instead of a snowman and do water balloons instead of snowball fights.
Cricket
Sport is a huge part of the Australian way of life and a national fixation! On Christmas day, cricket is played everywhere, at the beach, park, fields, backyard and on Boxing Day, a day after Christmas, many make time for the traditional Boxing Day Test involving the Australian Cricket Team and an International touring team that is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).