Have you ever wondered what Christmas is like in Australia? Similar to our friends in the northern hemisphere, Australian’s love nothing more than to celebrate the festive season with gusto, although with our summer heat and outdoor lifestyle the traditions and celebrations may look a little different. If you want to know what an Aussie Christmas is really like, we have compiled a little list below of what it means to celebrate Christmas in Australia.
Australian Christmas Lights and Decorations
Much like everywhere else in the world, Australians love to spread their Christmas cheer and for most this happens a lot earlier than the actual day of celebration on the 25th December. Although the most accepted day for hanging lights and adorning houses in tinsel is from December 1st, the excitement of the impending celebration is a little too much for many and it is actually quite common for Christmas trees and house decorations to be up from as early as November.
Christmas Lights
In Australia, one of the biggest Christmas decorative traditions involves lighting our houses up with as many fairy lights, blow up santas and projection displays as possible. For some this may be a simple string of lights around their front door, whilst for others this is a full blown affair that requires months to set up and electricity bills that are best ignored.
Whole streets band together and a common nighttime activity for families is to pile in the car to ‘see the Christmas lights around Brisbane‘. There are often local competitions and whole streets that participate.
Wreaths and Trees
Other Christmas decorations in Australia mimic those seen in other countries, but some come with a decidedly Aussie twist. Wreaths are hung from the door but in most cases consist of Australian native bush plants.
Eucalypt leaves, gum nuts, wattles and banksia are often the plants of choice. Likewise with our Christmas trees, whilst some people go all out and opt for a real Christmas tree, in most cases the heat means a plastic variety decorated with love is what is recycled year in and year out for most Australian families.
Aussie Christmas Carols
Christmas carols at South BankWhilst door-to-door Christmas Carollers are not really a thing in Australia, events involving Christmas Carols by Candlelight are. In the lead up to Christmas, calendars fill quickly with these beloved candle-lit sing fests, as parks, schools, and major community stages play host to the joyful nighttime celebration.
With the balmy summer weather heating up as the big day looms closer, families pack their picnic blanket, a festive spread, their battery-operated candles and an esky of cold drinks as they head out for a night under the stars singing the Christmas classics. Each year, most major cities host their own sell out ‘Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carols‘, which is performed on a main stage and broadcast live for those at home to join in too.
Australian Christmas Eve and Morning
Being a multi-cultural country, Christmas is celebrated differently in a lot of households. Even so, there are a few traditions that are followed by most Australians with young children.
On Christmas Eve, carrots (for the reindeers) and a cold drink (sometimes beer!) and cookies (for Santa) are usually left out.
As Christmas falls in the middle of the Australian summer, stockings may be hung by chimneys but no raging fires will hamper Santa’s arrival. Most houses don’t even have a fireplace, and so in majority of cases stockings tend to be hung from walls, shelves, mantles โ or are simply laid beneath Christmas trees..
While some families celebrate and open gifts on Christmas Eve, the vast majority of households usually wake on Christmas morning to Santa having arrived, with gifts being opened before heading out to their annual family Christmas event. The exception to this might be some Christmas-themed Pajamas on Christmas Eve and for some, a Christmas Eve box though this isn’t particularly common.
Australian Christmas Food
Just like the northern hemisphere, at Christmas we love to celebrate with a big festive lunch or dinner surrounded by our family and friends. Christmas crackers and colourful paper crowns are almost guaranteed as are an assortment of homemade gingerbread houses of varying skill.
When it comes to the actual Christmas spread though things can look a little different. With Christmas falling right in the middle of summer, and with temperatures quite often sitting closer to a scorching 35 or 40 degrees Celsius, the feature main meal seafood and meat dishes are often served cold. Prawns are one of the most popular Christmas dishes in Australia, with many seafood stores taking orders and selling out well in advance of the big day.
Warm egg nog and mulled wine are replaced with cold beer, champagne and soft drinks, while for dessert, we love nothing more than a pavlova, cold trifle and maybe some Christmas pudding too. If we are honest though, a freezer full of ice-blocks is usually a must have as well!
Note: There will be many Australian’s who still partake in a traditional Northern Hemisphere feast of turkey and trimmings either in very cold ar conditioning or in complete denial of the heat outside.
Australian Christmas Day Activities
More often than not, Christmas Day in Australia is a sun-filled affair. If we are not in the midst of a tropical storm, then the day is usually humid and hot. For this reason, Christmas lunch is often spent indoors where the air-conditioning runs supreme, and is then followed with a number of different indoor and outdoor activities.
High on the list is usually a swim to cool down. This could be in the backyard pool, under the sprinkler, or even at the beach. If there is no such option, then sitting down to play some fun family Christmas games inside while the air con is cranked right up to high is usually a winner too. Backyard games are also big for Aussies on Christmas Day โ and none more so than a sweat-inducing round of backyard cricket.
Australia Boxing Day Traditions
The day after Christmas causes nearly as much excitement for some Australians as the big day itself. Filled with its own fan-fare, the post-Christmas ‘Boxing Day Sales’ mean eager shoppers are up early and at the store doors, keen to nab themselves an incredible bargain. That’s right. After months of shopping and spending one of the biggest days for retail outlet sales actually ends up being the day after Christmas!
Some people are even known to do their Christmas shopping on that day to make the most of all the incredible bargains. The famous Sydney to Hobart yacht race is also held every year on Boxing Day. And finally, another sporting tradition is the Boxing Day Cricket Test Match. It starts every year on Boxing Day and is held at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground).
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