Christmas Down Under

Written by Lauren Wightman.

“Six white boomers, snow white boomers / Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun / Six white boomers, snow white boomers / On his Australian run” — Harris & Brown, 1960.

I have seen snow two times in my entire life. The first was when I was fourteen and went to “the snow,” as we Australians like to say, as if it were a singular location. The second time, late last February, was on one of my first nights in Gwangju, when I was caught in a random flurry on my way home. Whilst you can see and enjoy snow in Australia, many Australians, myself included, live along the coast and happily experience a very mild, snow-free winter of around 16 degrees (Celsius, of course).

For the American I was walking with, while seeing snow was unexpected, she remained fairly impassive. But for me, it was stop-with-hands-outstretched and eyes-upturned-in-wonder kind of moment. Now, as the days grow colder, I find myself becoming more and more excited for the presence of snow, but at the same time, more and more reminiscent of summer back home and what this time of year never fails to bring – Christmas. Although retaining traditional customs, Christmas in Australia has been altered to not only suit the climate, or the “stinking hot” weather, as my mum would say, but the quirky and multicultural Australian way of life. “I couldn’t imagine anything but a white Christmas,” I often hear from my Northern Hemisphere friends. But for me and many other Australians, while there may be no “boomers,” or kangaroos, usually, involved in our Christmas celebrations, the blazing sun is a welcome reality.

In the lead-up to Christmas, many Australians can’t skip the obligatory photo with Santa at the local shopping center, who is often only slightly overtired and grumpy. This photo will be used on your family’s annual Christmas card to send well wishes to all your friends and relatives. Luckily, once you’re too big to sit on Santa’s knee, Mum will stop forcing you to take them. If your family doesn’t receive a card in the letterbox, you can expect a knock at your door, a plate of food, a plant for your backyard, a carton of beer or bottle of wine, and a request to “put the kettle on” for a cup of tea.

On every street, it’s a tradition passed from neighbor to neighbor or father to son, that someone dons a beard and a Santa costume, usually also outfitted with a pair of sunnies and thongs, to give out lollies to all the kids or raise money for charity. Given our lack of sleighs, however, this is often done on foot, from the seat of a sulky, or even the back of a motorbike.

Another well-loved tradition, mainly due to its access to air conditioning, is “Christmas light looking,” or jumping in a car with friends and family, bringing a travel mug of hot chocolate, blasting some Christmas tunes, and seeing how others have decorated their houses. For some families, it’s tradition to go “all out” with these decorations, but for mine, it’s always been limited to solar-panel fairy lights haphazardly thrown on the tree in the front yard. Similarly, sometimes even our Christmas tree wasn’t a tree at all. One year, it was a giant piece of driftwood that we’d stood in a bucket and wrapped tinsel around, while another was a houseplant.

As Christmas Day draws nearer, and with schools letting out for summer holidays across the country around mid-to-late December, many Australian families choose to celebrate outside the cities, often by disappearing “down the coast” to locations with better access to a beach, river, or swimming pool and staying at campsites, caravan parks, or a relative’s house – some until well past New Year’s Eve. So, after opening presents on Christmas morning, if not already there, many Australians will quickly head to the closest water source for a swim, or the backyard for some type of fun family activity. This may be cricket, or in my case, an intense game of Finska, a traditional Finnish wood tossing game, and giant Jenga, usually followed by Dad firing up the “barbie,” or the BBQ, for a “sausage sizzle,” also a BBQ, for Christmas lunch.

If not a BBQ, a leg of ham is a Christmas table staple, along with a different variety of salads, such as potato, prawn, and avocado, and wombok, or Chinese crunchy noodle and cabbage. With many fruits coming into season in the summer, there is also no better time for a fruit platter or Mum’s homemade pavlova – a meringue cake topped with fresh cream and fruit. For my family, lunch is always preceded by finger foods like fresh prawns, spring rolls, cob loaf, or oysters Kilpatrick – oysters garnished with Worcester sauce and crispy bacon, all of which is usually washed down with a cup or more of tea, a jug of Pimms, or an ice-cold beer, or wine. During lunch, or dinner, it’s also a table tradition to pop a Christmas cracker, tell the awful dad-jokes and wear the flimsy paper crown from inside as you eat.

The day after Christmas, known as “Boxing Day,” is for rising early and heading to the local shops to enjoy the post-Christmas markdowns and snag a bargain with your Christmas money, or visiting the family and friends you didn’t see the day before, to help eat their leftovers, and borrow their pool – followed by promptly going into a food coma until New Year’s Eve.

While my whole life I’ve been dreaming of a magical, snowy-white Christmas, I think the Christmas that I know has a little bit of magic to it, too. So, this year, and in years to come, while I hope all your days are merry and bright, I also hope that one day, maybe not all your Christmases are white!

Glossary of Australian English
boomer: kangaroo
mum: mother
sunnies: sunglasses
thongs: flip-flops (rubber sandals)
lollies: candy
sulky – lightweight horse carriage
caravan – travel trailer, camper
cricket – an open-air game similar to baseball
Jenga – a building-blocks game
barbie – barbeque grill
sausage sizzle – a barbeque picnic
wombok – Chinese cabbage, nappa cabbage
pavlova – a meringue-based dessert
Pimm’s – a gin-based fruit drink
summer holidays – Christmastime

The Author
Lauren Wightman is a 22-year-old Australian from near Wollongong, NSW. On a break from her master’s degree in public policy and currently working as an English teacher, when she’s not social distancing, she enjoys exploring Korea and living life here to the fullest, all the while, (over)sharing about Australia with those she meets along the way. Instagram: @lozwightman