December 22, 2008

Cold and frosty's what it's not

Here is my problem with Christmas in Australia.

No one seems to remember we are in the middle of summer!

I love a warm Christmas. Christmas doesn't seem quite right without a day of 35 degrees (celsius), a lunch of salads, and sitting outside late into the night listening to the cicadas.

Which is why it annoys me that so many Christmas decorations/traditions are around snow, and cold and ice.

The shop I work in have lots of Christmas decorations - and everything except the candles is either a snowman, has snow flakes on it or has a picture of people in the snow.




I think we need to come up with an alternative for all of us lucky people who get to celebrate Christmas in Summer. Like a wreath made out of gold and sliver gum leaves.

My favourite Aussie Christmas song (i.e. not carols) is by Val Donlon and Lesley Sabogalas. The chorus goes like this;

Christmas where the gum trees grow
There is no frost and there is no snow.
Christmas in Australia's hot,
Cold and frosty is what its not.
When the bloom of the Jacaranda tree is here,
Christmas time is near.

The verses are about Santa so we can skip that; but I love the chorus, it sums up my feeling exactly.

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(photo from sxc)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

You're right. While I had a ball with my cold Christmas in Edinburgh last year (love ice skating in the park, and gluhwein (mulled wine)) I love being able to wear pretty Summer dresses, and go to Carols by Candlelight (I try to go to the Vision Australia ones as I did this year, hence the capitals, but the smaller local ones are fun too)
I have a great Christmas song on the 1999 Spirit of Christmas CD which talks about Daylight Savings and playing under the sprinkler and Summer holidays and all the things I remember from my childhood. I do also have some slightly dodgy, but amusing Aussie versions of Carols, such as 'Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden ute...' and 'Deck the shed with bits of wattle...'
Hope you're having a lovely Christmas