Kevin's Watch

To our Australia, New Zealand, South African members etc. What is Christmas in the summer like? I just can't get my mind around it. It's not like 'Walking In a Winter Wonderland', 'Frosty The Snowman' or 'Jingle Bells' really apply to you in December. What are some of your holiday traditions?

i can tell you some things. grew up in New Hampshire iwth wonderful snow every year. in the ten years here in Texas? snow one year. so I have trouble getting as excited.

I remember I asked this of Av one year. He said in South Africa anyway, the traditional carols are sung, including Jingle Bells and Frosty.

Here in Florida we do the same, but although there is no snow, we are technically in our winter so the songs sort of make sense. I wondered if there were different traditions that developed because it was Summer, but the impression I got from Av was that there wasn't much difference.

yah, there is nothing like Christmas in a place that turns white with snow. Mix that with a warm fire, good comapny and some nice drinks ... great.

Although I wouldn't mind ONE Christmas in a tropical location ... we are thinking of spending Christmas in Ecuador one year....

Um...well...I was never big into Christmas Carols. But we tend to sing all the traditional ones (Ruldolf, Jingle Bells...I've hardly ever sung "Frosty the Snowman" but eh).

Generally it's HOT on Xmas day (every now and again it's not). What we have for our main Xmas lunch and/or dinner depends on who I spend the day with.

This year I'll have a traditional xmas spread and my bro's house: hot food (turkey, pork, ham, roasted veges etc)

I prefer on xmas day cold meats and salads (so, ya know: cold turkey, ham etc)

Two years ago (first Xmas down here on the coast) I had a seafood xmas: crayfish, oysters, prawns etc YUM YUM! Some people do barbies (ie: BBQ's).

Beer's always an essential on Xmas day ...and now I live on the coast I really love going down to the beach late afternoon/early evening.

Probably the most humorous thing is poor Santa who is dressed up in all his traditional garb sweating profusely.

I don't do things like egg nog (how ever that's spelt)...um...just think of what you'd do if you were having a special occasion in the US in summer I guess.

We have Carols by Candlelight where you sit in usually a local park or gathering place, at night and usually out in the open where you can be eaten alive by mosquitos and you wave candles or sparklers around in the 30C+ degree heat and sing songs about places that are snowing.... ocassionally you might sing about santa's 6 white boomers, but its mostly cold country songs we sing.... and if youre really lucky you will experience the exquisite pain of one or more green ant bites on the more delicate areas of your anatomy (usually happens to people who dont take along collapsible chairs to sit on and use blankets instead).

I've done one Christmas in South Africa a couple of years ago - it was surreal.

Walking about the malls in my shorts and t-shirt listening to Christmas music in 30 degree heat.
Then having a full Christmas dinner in the heat, and having to down my beers quick before they got warm.

This years gonna be weird too. Christmas in Scotland with the heating up full, then New Year in South Africa with the shorts and t-shirt again.

Can't wait.

I live in northwest Georgia, and right now it's 67 degrees Fahrenheit! Wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I fear a tropical Christmas on the horizon!

Lord Foul wrote:I live in northwest Georgia, and right now it's 67 degrees Fahrenheit! Wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I fear a tropical Christmas on the horizon!

Tell me about it. The forecast is showing 82 F for Monday here in sunny central Alabama.

We have had about 5 inches of snow here in SW Ohio.

I hate snow.

Infelice wrote

ocassionally you might sing about santa's 6 white boomers

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlSsffF2xhA

That is such a great song! Rolf is a god!

My family usually summons Chaugnar Faugn, although on the odd occassion we have called forth Nyarlathotep. Then we sacrifice people to one of the Great Old Ones.

Have a very merry Cthulhutmas!

Christmas lunch is usually both hot and cold - roast lamb or chicken (often cooked on the grill) and potatoes, and also cold baked ham and salad. We drink copious amounts of beer and sit around in the sun getting burnt. After lunch was have pavlova with cream and fruit salad for dessert. Dinner consists of leftovers (as do all three meals on Boxing Day), and the top shelf drinks often get brought out later in the day.

Loremaster wrote:My family usually summons Chaugnar Faugn, although on the odd occassion we have called forth Nyarlathotep. Then we sacrifice people to one of the Great Old Ones.

Have a very merry Cthulhutmas!

Oooo...

I would love to know more about this.

we are ringing the bell for the salvation army tonight. representing the police station.

In the house I grew up in we like many people bought in a Christmas tree, a hacked off piece of conifer, and decorated it. I remember putting on cotton wool for snow.

NZ is a very secular country but Christmas services and their carols attract people and their kids who never set foot in a church all year.

Berry fruits are in season, the new spring potatoes are nice and tasty. I am responsible for taking a salad up to a family gathering about 2.5 hours drive away and wondering how to keep it cool - I'll probably take raw ingredients and make it up when I get there. (Shops/supermarkets will be closed on the day) If we were all living at home we would normally have a big ham or turkey and make it last a few days. People still like a good roast (or better a barbecue) or traditional Christmas pudding.

A lot of families have a beach or camping spot that they will go to, sometimes with relations from all over the country or friends, although as more beachfront and lakefront camping grounds get sold off to developers this custom is being affected. In January I might take my tent to a large block of land some friends have in the hills about an hour from Christchurch - no running water or toilet or any buldings. The weather is normally sunny and warm, though with the wrong wind rain and cooler weather can happen. Sunrise to sunset is 5.40 am to 9.10 pm at the moment and where I am we have been getting temperatures over 30 deg centigrade, so the days are long and languid.

The concept of Christmas merges with summer holidays, a lot of the country shuts down (except for the people catering to needs of holidaymakers who all work like slaves). Christmas is a time where people go off and become unavailable, forget about dealing with a govt department or a big company for a few weeks, go to the beach, take a few books and catch up on some reading.

Oh...that sounds heavenly.

South Africa: Braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies and chevrolet

New Zealand: Braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies and holden

OK - so you have to be from SA to get that one

Barbecue is the food of the day...yeah, we DO chuck the 'shrimps' on too...'cept we call them "PRAWNS"...

Ice cold BEER...

Beach (or pool if you own one) - running under the sprinklers is good too.

Aussie version of "Jingle bells"....

Dashing through the bush
In a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust
Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side
Singing Christmas songs
It's summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts & thongs
CHORUS:
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER'S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE

Engine's getting hot
Dodge the kangaroos
Swaggy climbs aboard
He is welcome too
All the family is there
Sitting by the pool
Christmas day, the Aussie way
By the barbecue!

CHORUS

Come the afternoon
Grandpa has a doze
The kids and uncle Bruce
Are swimming in their clothes
The time comes round to go
We take a family snap
Then pack the car and all shoot through
Before the washing up

CHORUS

Oh!!

That is great!!!

A quarter of the words in the first verse are unknown to me, but it's terrific anyway.

Good to see you, Elfie!!