A nice barbecue on the beach with friends and family and a toast at sunset with the sound of the waves in the background. No, we weren't supposed to write an article for the summer, but it's simply how Christmas is celebrated in Australia. Yes, because while in the U.S. and the rest of the Northern Emisphere we're used to celebrating the holidays with hot food, sweaters, and cold temperatures, on the other side of the world Santa Claus delivers presents in a swimsuit and protects himself from sunburn with sunscreen.
Beach Barbecue is The King of Parties
The heart of Australian holidays is closely tied to the sea and summer. Having grown up with Christmas as the main winter holiday, spending it between Sydney and Melbourne can't be all that bad. If the opportunity arises, celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus amidst the waves and Australian heat could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The southern summer is the warmest period in the Southern Hemisphere (Antarctica, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa) and occurs when the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter, approximately from December to March/April. The world's seasons are reversed due to the Earth's axis being tilted 23.5°C (74°F) relative to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. When the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun (receiving more light and heat, resulting in longer days, which we call summer), the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away and experiences winter, and vice versa. In short, all this clarification is to make clear the idea that in this period, in countries like Australia, outdoor and beach activities are ideal.
Tradition dictates that Christmas is celebrated with the traditional Christmas Barbecue: families and groups of friends flock to the beaches as early as dawn on December 25th, hauling along everything they need for the perfect barbecue. Here, they eat everything: the freshest seafood, salmon, shrimp, chicken, lamb, sausages, and glazed ham, accompanied by a variety of cold salads and seasonal fruit. The meal ends with desserts like pavlova or ice cream, enjoyed outdoors to beat the heat. It's a simple way to have fun outdoors, combining roast classics with fresh, vibrant summer flavors, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
Christmas Carols Outdoors
Besides the typical barbecue, there's another deeply rooted Australian Christmas tradition. We're talking about the famous "Carols by Candlelight," open-air concerts where thousands of people gather in meadows, parks, and natural amphitheaters. Every Christmas Eve, especially in Sydney, the Myer Music Bowl stadium becomes a place of music and wonder. Thousands of tiny lights illuminate the night, carts in the stands offer street food, hot dogs, and drinks, and artists, actors, and comedians perform beloved Christmas classics. This is a major Christmas charity event held to support Vision Australia‘s services for blind and visually impaired children. It attracts around 10,000 live spectators and millions more at home thanks to the live television broadcast.
So, if you decide to travel to Australia during this period and your arrival is scheduled just before the holidays, remember that there are also Christmas markets. Between Sydney and Perth, some of these are set up right on the waterfront. You can find stalls selling typical foods and local crafts with decorations inspired by Australian flora and Aboriginal art. In short, spending Christmas on the other side of the world, putting aside coats and scarves for a few days and slipping back into flip-flops and a swimsuit must be a truly magnificent experience.
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