Happy Christmas from ‘Down Under’

Saying Happy Christmas is not as traditional as Merry Christmas, but I thought I would bring the Australian style of Christmas to Rainy River District.
I am not 100 percent sure why, but Happy Christmas is just a bit more popular than Merry Christmas here “Down Under.”
Truthfully, I feel I’m just not having a Christmas this year as it is really challenging to get into the spirit. I do think, however, being in 30-degree C weather has something to do with it—and possibly the lack of snow.
I never really realized when I was back home in Canada how much the white, cold snow added to the Christmas spirit.
I have noticed people here tend not to decorate as much as we do in Canada. I mean, they do put up Christmas trees, but that is about the extent of the decorating (very seldom do you find Christmas lights or lawn ornaments).
The most decorated are the big box stores. David Jones, which is much like The Bay in Canada, has a phenomenal window display.
It has the most popular Christmas carols, not only playing out loud, but each window is decorated with the proper setting. People line up to walk the block, checking out each window.
My favourite was the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” where they had the partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, etc. while the song is playing.
And the figurines dance and move about as they are being called upon through the song.
It was great.
As I was travelling on the Greyhound between Coff’s Harbor and Byron Bay, we passed a house and there was Santa’s sleigh on the roof—like you see often in the north.
But it wasn’t the eight reindeer pulling his sleigh. It was, of course, kangaroos. I found it quite funny, but very appropriate.
Often because of the heat, people do not slave in the kitchen all day to prepare a huge meal. A barbecue often is the way Aussies feast on Christmas Day.
And it usually is a lunch as opposed to supper. They often munch on seafood instead of turkey. The drink of choice often is champagne.
It is a beach day for most families, or a lounging-around-the-pool day.
Santa, known mainly as Father Christmas here, visits all the main beaches on Christmas Day. He is very hip and arrives on a surfboard—in shorts to top it off.
In Australia, they do exchange gifts as I think Christmas is about giving worldwide. It also is about getting together with family and spending time with loved ones.
One thing very popular that Australians look forward to is Christmas By Candlelight. It started in Melbourne in 1937 and now is celebrated in every part of Australia—from the big cities to the small towns.
People bring blankets to the park, or wherever it is being held, sing carols, and light candles. It is a very sentimental time of the holidays for many families.
Boxing Day often is very busy, not because of the sales in the local malls and shops but because of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, which bring tens of thousands of people to Sydney Harbour.
Also to make things busy, a massive cricket tournament occurs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which has been held every year since 1950.
For those of you who don’t know about cricket, maybe I should write an article explaining the basics—only the basics, though, because that’s all I know thanks to an English fellow I met in Byron Bay.
Bondi Beach, a very popular beach in Sydney, offers a great gathering for us travelers and others who are spending Christmas away from home. It is a massive feast on the beach.
They have flags of all the countries in the world, and what you do is go to the flag you represent and meet other travellers from your country, as well as mingle with people who are spending Christmas away from home.
It’s a great way to get over the lonely feelings of Christmas.
New Year’s in Australia is known worldwide for its party and entertainment they put on. This is especially true in Sydney, where they have millions of dollars in fireworks to display and great concerts being played around the Sydney Opera House.
I’m looking forward to spending Christmas and New Year’s in Sydney. Although it will be different from the cold and snow, it will be a learning experience.
Well, from Down Under, I wish you all a very “Happy Christmas!”
I wish I could be there spending Christmas with my family and friends, but I look forward to experiencing a new style of the holiday this year.