12 Days of an Australian Christmas
By Aimee on
Every family is different and has their own traditions when it comes to Christmas. Australia, unlike most of the westernised world has their Christmas in summer. This means more beach and less snow. I will be listing twelve different Christmas traditions that I have grown up with as well as a few people I know. Some of these are specific for being from South Australia as well.
Day 1
Attending the Credit union Christmas Pageant: We got up early and waited on the sidelines for all the floats to go past. We would always bring chalk to draw on the road whilst we waited. My siblings and I always had a favourite float and would look for the new ones each year. The clown’s were normally pretty funny and Santa was always the last to arrive. It was the most exciting thing. One year it was so hot that he fainted and a replacement Santa was brought in. Us kids all thought he had made a miraculous recovery. After he arrived in town you could go and see him. Which brings us to day 2.
Day 2
Visiting the magic cave: This is where we would have to line up for hours waiting for out turn to visit Santa. He would then ask us what we wanted and we could get a photo. The magic cave was set up like a winter wonderland and the city still does this every year. They had two rocking horses, Nipper and Nimble, that we could ride as well as a carousel. My favourite was always the lucky dips or the fairy floss. I was in my teens when we stopped going, but we went from when I was a baby and was a tradition for many years.
Day 3
Brewery Lights: Alongside the Torrens River and the West End beer brewery is a dazzling Christmas display of lights and decorations. Well it was when I was little. We used to go after we went to the magic cave with my family. There’s a ‘whale’ in the river that during the winter has been known to detach and float down stream. My favourite was always the volcano one with Thor’s Hammer, it made thunderous sounds and the lighting was pretty cool.
Day 4
Putting up the tree: In South Australia it is common for the tree to go up on the day of the Christmas Pageant. My family however usually put it up around the first of December. We all had very special ornaments that we hung and took it in turns to put the angel on top. This year we went round to my mothers and helped her put up her tree like we used to growing up and it was very nostalgic. We had a great laugh as we found ornaments that were made from when we were younger. It will be a new tradition now to go to my Mum’s house to help her with her tree whilst doing crafts with the grandkids.
Day 5
Advent Calendar: Since the tree is put up around the first this is when we start our advent calendars. This year Sam and I have had a Lego one. Each day is a new piece of Lego that we build to create our little winter wonderland scene. Most of the time, advent calendars are just little squares of chocolate hidden behind cardboard doors. It was always fun seeing what picture you had each day though. They occasionally had to stay in the fridge though because December is summer and heat melts chocolate.
Day 6
Christmas Lights: It is a bit of a tradition in Australia to decorate your house with lights and things. Some towns compete against their neighbours to create spectacular views. One such town I grew up with was Lobethal. We were lucky as we lived one town over and had friends that lived there. When we were younger we would sit in the back of our wagon with blankets and drive around. As we got older we would walk. The town also puts on a nativity pay every year and sings carols. It was the ultimate Christmas thing to be a part of that nativity. One year I was an angel, but usually I was doing the carols. Sam did something similar in Roxby as they also had some lit up houses. I don’t do it any more but whenever I see a house done up with lights I still get excited by it. It brings back good memories.
Day 7
Gifts for Santa: Every Christmas eve we would leave something out for Santa and his reindeer. A few carrots, some water for the reindeer. As for Santa however that changed a little over the years. There was always a biscuit, sometimes it was even a Tim tam. The thing that changed however was Santa’s drink. When my parents were still together the drink was a cold can of VB beer. When my Mum was the one playing Santa however we always left out a can of Bundy (Bundaberg rum for those playing at home). Sam’s dad would also put some cotton wool on the can saying that some of Santa’s beard got stuck. Beer is a rather typical drink treat for Santa down-under. Especially considering the heat, he probably doesn’t want milk.
Day 8
Christmas Crackers: This popping bits of joy have been used by my family, and many others, for as long as I can remember. Two people pull at an end and the person with the largest end after it ‘cracks’ is the winner and keeper of the prizes. They always consist of a hat, a joke, and a little toy. Some crackers are far superior to others and this year we have gone and made our very own. Which we are beyond excited about. I made the hats, Sam wrote the jokes and everyone will get a happy little prize. We even bought the cracking cracker parts to make it authentic. Very excited.
Day 9
The Presents: As kids we weren’t allowed to wake mum up before 7 am to open our presents. We were however allowed to open our stockings. Which were huge and always packed with chips, lollies, CDs, DVDs, silly stuff like bubbles. It was awesome. We had to be very quiet though. It was hard with how excited we were back then. When the presents were handed out we had one person don the Santa hat and be the gifter. With Sam’s family they take it slow. They don’t open every single present up, they open one each then go back to eating or something else. They then come back later and open up more. I really like this as it helps you appreciate every gift more. It also spreads them out over the day and makes the whole experience last longer.
Day 10
Food: Every family has some kind of food that is eaten every year. My mum used to make chocolate and apricot coconut balls that my sister now does. Each year we have fresh fruit like cherries and mangoes as our dessert. I have started a tradition of a baked fish and you can find that recipe here. We also do prawns every year without fail. Sam’s family have a ham and a Christmas pudding that we set alight. I saw that for the first time last year and I’m really excited to see it again.
Day 11
Backyard Cricket: These last two are ones that I have done before but haven’t really done as a tradition. Many families I know of however do this every year. The idea of backyard cricket isn’t one that is just played at Christmas too, it is one that happens when all the family gets together. Considering Christmas is one of those times it is more likely to happen then. I was never good at this growing up, like most sports, so I usually opted out. There was normally one wicket, a tennis ball, and a plastic bat involved. They were a very bright yellow if I remember correctly. Some families have metal wickets and proper bats and they usually get a better hit. It was out if it went over the fence.
Day 12
Carols by Candlelight: Every Christmas eve the ‘Vision Australia’ carols by candlelight is held near Melbourne. All the money from tickets and donations go toward helping children who are blind or have low vision. There’s normally a few low grade famous Australians that sing some carols and put on a performance. Growing up we were normally very busy new years eve and didn’t always watch it. As an early teen and adult it was the only thing on TV. We flicked between this and the Victoria secrets fashion show that normally showed on Christmas Eve. Each city has there own type of carols by candlelight as well in the lead up to Christmas and its always held in some large park area.
So this is Christmas
I hope this gives you a bit more insight into what I did growing up as my family traditions. I would love to hear about yours too! I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a safe and happy new years.