Helloooooo!! It has been too long since I put up a proper post here on Everything’s Famtastic. I did briefly explain my reasons why here but basically, my family and I flew from Germany back to my native soil Australia for Christmas.
Now since I am talking about it, allow me to fill you in to what it’s like to celebrate Christmas in Australia (at least in my family) and what it’s like if you are a returning expat with a multicultural bilingual family to boot. *phew!* That was a long sentence 😉
I love Christmas time. And I especially love that our family has tried to include traditions from both the German side and the Australian side, no matter which country we happen to be celebrating in. Naturally the kids think it’s BRILLIANT that the Christmas celebrations never seem to end. German traditions, Australian traditions, immediate family, extended family, food, presents… Seriously, Christmas in our family of 5 can last several days.
Fun Fact #1: December in Australia is SUMMER.
Did I just say that?!?
Yes, it’s true! For starters, we Aussies have zero chance of a storybook white Christmas and in fact celebrate Christmas smack bang in summer. Summer in Australia means sun. And heat. Can you imagine it? If you are not Australian, it can be kinda hard to wrap your head around. No watching the snowflakes gently falling to create a mystical white landscape.. No lighting the fire and getting cozy in the house with family. No. Here? On with the t-shirts and the air-con. Love it!
Fun Fact #2: Most people in Australia tend to use an artificial tree.
Yep, also true! Wrong climate, wrong sort of tree–> make use on an alternative! Most people use artificial (ie plastic) Christmas trees to decorate. Obviously you can get some that look super real. Some are white plastic and covered with glitter. Such trees may look sweet, but no one is kidding themselves that it actually looks like a snow-covered tree that got dragged inside and decorated 😉. Sure, some people find themselves a real tree, but they are definitely in the minority. (And anyway, my Mum was never keen to try to pick dry needles out of the carpet afterwards, LOL).
Our family sets up the Christmas tree about a week before Christmas, just because it looks pretty and gets everyone in the spirit. We have never been one of those families building up the tree the moment the calendar flipped over to December 1st.
As kids we used to make a lot of decorations to add to the tree. You know, gold painted, uncooked macaroni threaded onto wool to make long chains like a clunky tinsel. Loops of coloured strips of paper for make paper chains. Wrapped up teeny, empty matchboxes with paper and string to resemble miniature gifts. Even- back in the dark ages my early childhood- threading metallic milk bottle tops onto a long strand of string to create a long shiny strand to loop around the tree. (Does anyone else remember metal milk bottle tops?!?) Man, as a kid our tree probably nearly toppled over with the weight of some of those decorations and quite possibly blocked the view of the nice, store-bought, professional ones.
These days, my own kids do create some of their own decorations. But they are not as ambitious as I and my 3 siblings were and unfortunately I don’t always find the time to come up with many inspiring ideas. (Except of course, my own Christmas ornaments to sew!)
The Big Day
Like in many other countries, Santa and his reindeer deliver presents to children who have been (or at least the kids themselves say so) well-behaved throughout the year. On the night of December 24th, Christmas Eve, our children ensure that there are carrots left out for the reindeer to snack on, and for Santa a couple of cookies and a glass of milk. (My Hubby always suggests Santa might want a beer instead, but the kids insist on milk being the drink of choice.) Then, when everyone in the house is fast asleep, Santa brings the gifts and leaves them under the Christmas tree to be discovered on Christmas morning.
As most parents would have experienced, according to our children the optimal time for discovering said presents is, you know, approximately 5.48am. If we’re lucky we can still get some shut-eye while the kids are trying to x-ray-vision the wrapped goodies under the tree. Even if we can’t, we make the kids wait until their grandparents wake up before the fun gets started, since we have completely overrun their house for the duration of our stay here.
What follows is presumably like what happens in any other house. Presents get opened with lots of ooh-ing and aah-ing; at least one gift is not as appreciated as much as one would hope. This year it was Master 5 who immediately proclaimed he did not like a shirt and would never wear it (ah yes, the honesty of children, bless!). Then the great balling-up-of-wrapping-paper-and throwing at each-other paper fight begins. You know, the packaging and wrapping is always guaranteed to be at least as exciting as the gift itself 😉.
Fun Fact #3: No-one in Australia ever says “Throw another shrimp on the barbie”.
Or even calls them “shrimps”. Thanks Paul Hogan *rolls eyes*. They’re called PRAWNS.
As the day progresses, the celebrations move outdoors, with sun, swimming, or at least splashing and squealing under a sprinkler. “Wait! What? Did she just say ‘swimming’ on Christmas Day?!”. Yes, yes indeed I did! Remember: December= Summer= Sun.
What follows then is a big spread of food based around a BBQ as well as cold, tender-roasted chicken, turkey and pork, and succulent salads loaded with exotic ingredients like avocado, mango and maybe even prawns. *drool*
Then after an amazing lunch at the outdoor dining table, everyone retires indoors away from the heat with big smiles and full bellies to take a break (or nap). This “to nap or not to nap” decision may or may not be influenced by age, level of wine consumption, and the time of morning the children woke you up.
Like the popular football saying in Germany “After the game is before the game”, after the feasting is before the feasting. Hence, the next action of the day is- *drum roll please*- indulging in the deserts of ice cream and custard and Christmas pudding and my Mum’s traditional, hearty dried-fruit Christmas cake.
Does any of this eat-sleep-repeat style of family Christmas sound familiar? I don’t believe for a second that we are the only family in Australia who celebrates together this way. Please tell me that we are not the only family who do this!
Now, this was our typical summery Australian Christmas Day. But remember! My Hubby and kiddies are German. So, that means we like to celebrate the German way in addition to the gift and food fest on December 25th.
Fun Fact #4: In Germany the festival of Weihnachten actually begins on December 24th.
Regardless of which land we are celebrating in, we always start the Christmas marathon in the evening of Heilig Abend (aka Christmas Eve). So yes, you guessed it- this also consists of family time, gift-giving and food. Actually, I think it’s best if I save the details of that for another post another time. 😉
Needless to say, Christmas is one ginormous extended celebration in our family that keeps all 3 kids and all the grown-ups very occupied and twinkle-eyed. And we love it that way!
How did you celebrate Christmas in your part of the world? Did you know Christmas in Australia means a summer celebration? Did you know that no-one here says “shrimps”?!? I’d love to hear your stories! Drop me a comment below!
Hi Jen, glad you could make it home for Christmas. Our Aussie Christmas is very similar, though our lights and tree are usually in place in early December. The tree is adorned with baubles, tinsel and decorations made by our children over 20 years ago. Christmas Eve is spent in front of the telly watching the carols from Melbourne. On Christmas Day, we have extended family of all ages feasting on a lunch of salads, cold roasted meats, ham, prawns and copious quantities of wine. This year I made a dried fruit ice-cream pudding drizzled with chocolate and accompanied by a big bowl of mixed fresh Australian berries. Seemed popular in the heat, though the air-conditioning was working to the max to keep us cool. After lunch, we FaceTimed family overseas, had friends drop around for a drink and a chat, and then once it was cool enough outside, we swam in the pool.
The next day is of course Boxing Day and that means only two things in our household – the cricket test and eating leftovers! And so we slowly wind down from the excitement of another Christmas. But the ham does seem to last for a bit longer, and once new year comes, the decorations, lights and tree are packed away for another year. So that’s how it is at our place.
Thanks for sharing Lavinia! Your Christmas Day sounds perfect- family, food and fun. As it should be 🙂 And yes, I am very much enjoying my time here!