Blogmas 2017 Day 16 - Christmas Down Under

If there is one thing that I am jealous of at this time of year, it's the Northern Hemisphere and their wintery, chilly Christmas! I love the idea of a white Christmas, and cozying up at night with a hot chocolate with the Christmas lights on. It's something that we can't really do here in Australia because it's usually quite warm, being summer! We do have our own traditions though, with the weather being warmer it enables families to celebrate outdoors either at home, the beach or a camping adventure!
Today's post will be me sharing a few traditions with you, so if you aren't from the southern hemisphere, you will probably find these quite different from what you are used to.

Street Parties

If you live on a quiet street or even better a court, chances are you know most of you neighbours, and most likely there are a lot of kids in the street too. Christmas night usually would entail the closure of the street, so the families and kids can play and run amok!

Prawns

While the traditional Christmas dinner usually consists of roast Turkey and vegetables, it is an Aussie tradition to have prawns on Christmas day. I am not a seafood eater, so can't really say how good this is, but from all reports, it's amazing! I am definitely a more traditional person, preferring the turkey over the prawns, but my family regularly has prawns in the evening after a big lunch.

Christmas Lunch

Most families in Australia have a big Christmas lunch. As a child we would head to my grandparents house (which I still do) and have a big lunch with the whole family. Then after that all the kids would sit around the Christmas tree and open presents. By the afternoon, everyone is tired and full, and ready to go home.

Carols by Candlelight

This is a really fun tradition that you can find in most towns in Australia. The major cities will have a big one where there will be major performers and a whole lot of people, but smaller towns usually hold their own. This is where families usually pack a blanket, picnic and spend the night listening to Christmas carols by candlelight.

A plate for Santa

On Christmas Eve, we always make sure we leave out a plate of snacks for Santa. This will usually consist of a cookie, glass of milk and a carrots for the reindeer.

Christmas Lights

This is something I love about this time of year, it's when people decorate their houses with Christmas light. We have done it at our previous hose and it's so much fun! I love to look at all the amazing houses, some people do such an amazing job!

Backyard Cricket

I can remember many a Christmas day playing backyard cricket with the family. Often played late in the afternoon, and when the adults have had a little too much Christmas cheer and think they are international cricket stars! The wheelie bin would usually be the wickets, and it can make for an entertaining afternoon!