ph03nix
Well-Known Member
Oh boy, it's hot... has been for the last few days. And I mean really hot... 34, 35 degrees celcius (around 95 farenheit). Summer's finally arrived with a vengeance. 
So, I was sitting here, thinking about how hot it is, and I suddenly realised how close it is to christmas! You see, in Australia christmas is synonymous with heat. It's the middle of summer so it's always hot. Temperatures in the high 30's to low 40's (95 - 110 f) are the norm. And where we're from it's the middle of the 'wet season', so Christmas day is rainy as often as not. This means that the air is both hot and wet, which can make for some sticky situations. As a result, blow-up swimming pools, beach toys and hose-games are extremely popular christmas presents for our kids. The sounds of splashing, giggles and squeals of delight are also one of the things I associate with christmas (along with the taste and smell of watermelon and a game called 'Sticks' that we always used to play with our cousins when I was a kid). Air conditioners work overtime and the sales figures for prawns, beer and bagged ice go through the roof.
As the day wears on, the smell of barbecued food takes over the air as fathers everywhere are put to work in the back yard. Traditionally, the BBQ is the man's domain, with the women taking care of the salads and (let's face it) everything else. Extended families usually take it in turns to host a get-together and anyone interested is welcome to come along and help celebrate. Every large receptacle is commandeered and filled with ice to keep the beer and soft-drinks cold. The kids (and some of the adults) usually start up a game of back-yard cricket (or beach cricket, depending upon where you are) sometime in the afternoon. This is about the time when most of the adults take the chance to go inside for a bit of a nap to help digest the (probably too much) food (and beer) that they've consumed.
Not many Aussies do the traditional roast meal for christmas dinner. It's just too hot to spend all day in the kitchen. In our house, the rule is that Mum does not work on Christmas day. I will prepare roasts for cold meats and containers of salads in the days leading up to Chrissy, but I do not cook on Christmas! I do manage to drink, though.
Oh, that reminds me... F*&# it's hot!! I wish I had a beer in the fridge...
Anyway, all this thinking about Christmas has got me wondering how everyone else on RIU will be celebrating this silly season in their own little corners of the world. So tell me, do you guys have certain customs or family traditions that you follow at christmas time? Does your family have a favourite chrissy holiday destination? Do you celebrate in a strange... er... different way than the rest of us? Do you have one of those embarrassing uncles that always seems to end up getting really drunk? Or do you want to hide as far away from the rest of the population as possible until the whole shemozzle is finished and gone?
What will you be doing?
Me -->
So, I was sitting here, thinking about how hot it is, and I suddenly realised how close it is to christmas! You see, in Australia christmas is synonymous with heat. It's the middle of summer so it's always hot. Temperatures in the high 30's to low 40's (95 - 110 f) are the norm. And where we're from it's the middle of the 'wet season', so Christmas day is rainy as often as not. This means that the air is both hot and wet, which can make for some sticky situations. As a result, blow-up swimming pools, beach toys and hose-games are extremely popular christmas presents for our kids. The sounds of splashing, giggles and squeals of delight are also one of the things I associate with christmas (along with the taste and smell of watermelon and a game called 'Sticks' that we always used to play with our cousins when I was a kid). Air conditioners work overtime and the sales figures for prawns, beer and bagged ice go through the roof.
As the day wears on, the smell of barbecued food takes over the air as fathers everywhere are put to work in the back yard. Traditionally, the BBQ is the man's domain, with the women taking care of the salads and (let's face it) everything else. Extended families usually take it in turns to host a get-together and anyone interested is welcome to come along and help celebrate. Every large receptacle is commandeered and filled with ice to keep the beer and soft-drinks cold. The kids (and some of the adults) usually start up a game of back-yard cricket (or beach cricket, depending upon where you are) sometime in the afternoon. This is about the time when most of the adults take the chance to go inside for a bit of a nap to help digest the (probably too much) food (and beer) that they've consumed.
Not many Aussies do the traditional roast meal for christmas dinner. It's just too hot to spend all day in the kitchen. In our house, the rule is that Mum does not work on Christmas day. I will prepare roasts for cold meats and containers of salads in the days leading up to Chrissy, but I do not cook on Christmas! I do manage to drink, though.
Oh, that reminds me... F*&# it's hot!! I wish I had a beer in the fridge...
Anyway, all this thinking about Christmas has got me wondering how everyone else on RIU will be celebrating this silly season in their own little corners of the world. So tell me, do you guys have certain customs or family traditions that you follow at christmas time? Does your family have a favourite chrissy holiday destination? Do you celebrate in a strange... er... different way than the rest of us? Do you have one of those embarrassing uncles that always seems to end up getting really drunk? Or do you want to hide as far away from the rest of the population as possible until the whole shemozzle is finished and gone?
What will you be doing?
Me -->
Aussie Rules Football is bad ass .....
