by Vivianne Ellis

Created on: March 14, 2009   Last Updated: March 15, 2009

Christmas in Australia used to be very similar to those in the UK, with their hot Christmas dinner, decorating the Christmas tree, carol singers and Boxing Day. I can still remember my Mother cooking roast pork and chicken and the Christmas cake and pudding for weeks before and right up to Christmas lunch, in a kitchen that resembled the nether reaches of hell. She used to joke that she lost 20 pounds over

Christmas as she labored to cook a meal in temperatures nudging 100F and above. Christmas in Australia falls in summer and when I was growing up only hotels and hospitals had air conditioning so it was the wrong time of year to be making a full roast dinner. My Mother was English so she refused have Christmas any other way.

We have air conditioning now, and in Australia we have adapted many of the old traditions to fit our weather and the things we like to do. The children are home because school is over for the year so many families enjoy the weeks leading up to Christmas as much as the actual day. In late November there is a ChristmasPageant in most cities to herald the arrival of Santa Claus or Father Christmas as many here in Australia now call the old man in red. Many people take their children to see Santa at the stores and have their picture taken. Here in South Australia we have a place called The Magic Cave that generations of children have visited every year. Many houses are decorated for Christmas with lights and decorations. They go so far as to have pretend snow and reindeer even though we are nowhere near the North Pole and thousands of people take the children on jaunts in the car to visit the decorated houses and get into the Christmas spirit.

On the eve of the big day most cities hold a concert called CarolsbyCandlelight that is attended by thousands. They bring their children, a blanket and a candle in a holder and spend the evening singing Christmas Carols together. The concert is always televised so that everyone can attend even if they never leave home. It is very special to take part in this gentle celebration, on a warm summer evening, with hundreds of candles twinkling, and children and their parents singing together. After the concert the children all go home to bed and the long wait for Santa to arrive.

On Christmas morning the children wake up early. In our house they could open the presents from Santa that were left in a Santa bag at the end of their bed. These were the small presents that the children knew Santa brought - the other

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