Sheryl Fernandes Dixit reminisces on the many times Christmas traditions in Australia caught her off guard through this collection of microstories. 

There’s a unique charm in celebrating Christmas in Australia, and having lived here for a while now, I’m a self-proclaimed expert on a fair number of down-under traditions.

I’ve come a long way from the time when I stared indignantly at mince pies, Santa shaped chocolates and shortbread cookies on display in supermarkets. 

“It’s mid-September!” I had said incredulously to my friend.

Ignoring my eyeroll, she had brazenly dropped Xmas goodies into her trolley. “In Australia we start early and take Christmas very seriously,” she had said, laughing.

Now in the middle of December, it feels like Christmas. Homes are decorated with myriad lights and cheerful wreaths, malls are festooned with giant ornaments and tasteful holly, scooter riding delivery drivers are in full-on Santa gear, and there’s the familiar once-a-year atmosphere of gift-seeking, ingredient-hunting hoards frantically preparing for the silly season.

No holly, just jolly

Christmas in Australia can be hugely confusing when you’re a newly arrived migrant. 

For starters, it’s hot. Really hot! And while there’s always the chance of an odd shower, your true blue Aussie neighbours will confidently let you know that it’s  ‘gonna be a scorcher’. And it is!

“I just don’t feel Christmassy in Australia,” confessed a friend from the UK. “Instead of cold and damp we get beach weather. Maybe that’s not a bad thing, after all,” she added after a moment’s thought. 

Naughty or nice?

“Who’s Kris Kringle?” asked a newly arrived migrant colleague. “Is that like, Mrs Santa Claus?” When I stopped laughing he showed me his slip: ‘Your Kris Kringle is female who likes sweet and smelly stuff.’

“It's a gift exchange and you have to buy a feminine gift. What’s the budget?”

“$20.”

“Candles or chocolate,” I said confidently and predictably, that was spot on advice!  

Kris Kringle or Secret Santa is now on an app, much to the relief of Xmas party organisers globally. No more mind-numbing spreadsheets, trying to match people with tastes. Genius! 

Bring us a figgy pudding

“My neighbour has invited our family to Christmas lunch, should I go?” 

“Of course!” was my immediate response to a friend who had been in Australia for a year and had struggled to make friends. 

“But I’m not Christian!”

“So?” 

“Only Christians celebrate Christmas, no?”

“No!” I said, laughing. “Take a plate and go, you’ll be ace.”

“A plate? But we’re a family of four. Should I take glasses and cutlery? Mugs for tea? Is this another Aussie tradition?”

“All you need is a dish of your yummy butter chicken with naan,” I said, trying not to giggle. She’s now the undisputed culinary queen of the street.

I love how Christmas can be amazingly non-religious in Australia and is about festivity, cheer and spending time together with family and friends. 

Yes, people do celebrate based on their faith and beliefs, but it’s not mandatory. However good food and alcohol certainly is, to make the season truly jolly!

The most wonderful time of the year

Every year without fail, a work friend reminds me of the time we were invited to a pre-Christmas party at our manager’s home.

“Have a mince pie,” said his obliging wife, offering us a tray with little pastry pies.

“Oh thank you, but no. I don’t eat meat.” 

She looked bemused.

“Meat?” she said blankly.

“Oh this is fruit mince, not meat!” explained my friend rather patronisingly, smiling indulgently at our host while my mind tried to process the fact that ‘mince’ could be a sweet vegetarian concoction of finely diced flavoured fruit with cinnamon and nutmeg.

She hasn’t let me forget in 15 years and is possibly the reason why I haven’t taken a shine to ‘mince’ pies.

Deck the halls

As dusk fell and I readied to go home after visiting my friend, we walked out of his front door into a blaze of colour. I stopped in jaw-dropping astonishment. Rows and rows of multicoloured lights had been strung from roof to garden, and a bunch of reindeer-shaped lights winked brightly on the lawn. An eight-foot inflated Santa waved drunkenly at us.

My friend’s face was resplendent with smug joy. 

“Looks great, doesn’t it?” he said to me with undisguised pride. “This year we have more lights than any other house on the street!”

His mum had followed us out and before I could answer she said accusingly, “This is not our tradition! You have more lights for Christmas than Diwali! You’ve even put up a tree!”

“Amma, this is Australian culture. Our kids love it and they don’t feel left out when their friends talk about Santa and Christmas trees,” he said with exaggerated patience, obviously having had this discussion before.

His kids joined us then, their faces as brightly lit as their home, and the lines on Amma’s face smoothed out.

All was well with the world.

Tidings of comfort and joy

“I’m bringing a pavlova to your Christmas lunch.” 

“Of course, we’d love that,” I replied politely, while thinking, ‘What the hell is that!’ Those were pre-Google times so I asked my cousin who had lived here for a while. 

“It’s this super sweet round thing made of egg white and sugar that’s hollow inside and filled with fresh summer fruit,” was his succinct reply. “I never have to eat it because I’m allergic to egg, thank goodness,” he fervently added. 

“Is it typically Australian?” I asked with all the ignorance of a newly arrived migrant.

“Haha, just as typical as any other traditional dish introduced here by another culture,” he said.

That’s what I love about Christmas in Australia. It can be anything you want it to be. A gathering of family or friends or both. A day of super indulgence in food and beverages of your choice. Lounging in the shade, listening to the happy shrieks of children in the pool. Cheating at backyard cricket.  Exchanging gifts, cheer, goodwill and gratitude while we celebrate the joy of life. 

And hope for peace on earth. For Auld Lang Syne.

Feliz Navidad! 

Sheryl Fernandes Dixit is a marketing professional with a passion and flair for writing. People, animals, absurdity and humour are her forte and she enjoys creating stories from memories and life.