His: Christmas Eve in Australia - looking back

Different Australian Animals hanging out with Santa.

             I have lived in America for almost 11 years and have adjusted to the lifestyle pretty well. There are a few exceptions including celebrating Christmas in the winter. When I was a child Christmas was in the height of summer and although we heard the traditional carols about sleighs in the snow, sitting by the fire was not relevant to us. A white Christmas was one where you didn't get sunburned and the nearest snowflake was in the Himalayas which was over 5000 miles away. I am still getting used to having Christmas when the temperatures are close to freezing instead of the mercury trying to set a new record for the year. Maybe in another 11 years I will come to get used to the cold Christmas and embrace it, but only time will tell.

       Today is Christmas Eve and for many of us in America we are enjoying the day off. It's a national holiday and most people get the day off from work. It's a time to get together, attend a Christmas service at church and enjoy a meal together. In Australia, Christmas Eve is not a national holiday so it's not quite a big a deal. If you have to travel to be with family you may have spent the evening traveling after being at work that morning. Often there are events like "Carols by Candlelight" that are held outdoors in local parks on Christmas Eve or a few days before but a lot of time it was way too hot for my family to attend. So why the big difference? Australians get two days off for Christmas, but it is normally Christmas Day and the day after Christmas which is known as Boxing day. In America most people get Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off and go back to work on the 26th.

     Well that is about it for my Christmas Eve posting. I will post more about the differences between Christmas Day tomorrow and that should be an interesting read so make sure to stop by and check it out. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones! Hopefully Santa is good to you all!