The most Googled questions about Christmas in Australia
This post is part of a series of “Ask Google? Ask Fairlie!” posts. Today, as a festive season special treat, I ask Google about Christmas in Australia. Using the auto-complete suggestions for the phrase “Christmas in Australia” I find out the most Googled questions about Christmas in Australia. Then I answer those questions myself. Who needs Google when you can ask Fairlie?
Is it Christmas in Australia now?
What? Do we mean right now? Right this minute?
No, it’s not.
But it is fast approaching. And yes, Australians get Christmas before most of the rest of the world does…only the Western-most portion of Russia, the Pacific Islands and New Zealand beat us to the big Yuletide day.
What is Christmas in Australia called?
Um…Christmas?
Is this a trick question?
What date is Christmas in Australia?
Seriously? We’re Googling this?
Okay. To be 100 per cent clear…Christmas Day in Australia is on 25 December. Just like it has been the world over since the 4th century. Yes, we’re free-thinkers and creative types here in Australia, but I don’t think we’d ever dare to move Christmas Day.
How does Christmas work in Australia?
Christmas doesn’t work. Christmas takes the day off, puts up its feet and consumes lots of food and drink.
Is Christmas in Australia in summer?
It is indeed. Because Australia is in the southern hemisphere, our seasons are the reverse of the northern hemisphere. While it’s winter up there, it’s summer down here. But Australia is a large continent, and there are huge variations in climate. Summer in Melbourne is very different to summer in Darwin.
As a result, Christmas in Australia is full of contrasts: it can be as hot as Hades outside, but shops are decorated with snowflakes and sleighs, Santa wears boots and a full red suit, and muzak plays in lifts/elevators to remind us to dream of a White Christmas.
What is merry Christmas in Australia?
A merry Christmas in Australia is one where everyone gets the gifts they wanted, there’s plenty of food and drink, there’s no major family arguments, and no-one ends up in the emergency ward of the hospital.
But I think the intention of the Googled question is actually, ‘how do you say Merry Christmas in Australia’…to which the answer is: ‘meri krɪsməs’.
(Yes, we speak English in Australia too.)
What is Christmas in Australia like?
Christmas in Australia is pretty much whatever you want it to be like.
Australia is a very multi-cultural nation, and we’ve embraced many aspects of various cultures over the years. Christmas for some families will mean church services and a traditional hot, cooked turkey lunch…while others may have a picnic at the beach with seafood and salads. Some families recognise and celebrate Christmas’s religious significance, for others it is more of a cultural festival. Some households have set-in-stone traditions year in, year out, for others it is a fluid and changing event.
Christmas Day itself is a public holiday (as is Boxing Day on 26 December) so generally, Christmas is a time when extended families get together, maybe exchange gifts, share a meal or two, and perhaps play some games or backyard cricket or hang out in the swimming pool.
Santa visits homes during the night on Christmas Eve, and children find their gifts from him when they wake up on Christmas morning.
How long does Christmas last in Australia?
Do I need to revisit the concept of the 24 hour clock? Christmas Day is one day. 24 hours. Just like for the rest of the world.
However, the day after Christmas (Boxing Day) is also a public holiday in Australia, so you could argue that the loose idea of ‘Christmas’ lasts two days.
And, technically, we should take down our Christmas decorations, pack away the Christmas cards and turn off the fairy lights by 6 January, which is the end of the 12 days of Christmas. However, hardly anyone knows this…and you can still find decorations up throughout January.
How long does a Christmas tree last in Australia?
A lot of people in Australia have plastic Christmas trees…so this question could really be one about the biodegradability of plastics.
However, many people have real trees in their homes…and this question is a very pertinent one. It’s a fine line each year as to exactly when you should buy your real Christmas tree.
Buy it too early, and it could well have wilted before Christmas Day if we have a burst of hot December weather. Leave it too late, and you’ll only have the mis-shapen skanky trees to choose from. It’s a dilemma.
We bought our tree on 12 December this year, and managed to snag the most beautifully shaped tree which fills the house with a delicious smell of fresh pine.
What question do you want to ask about Christmas in Australia?
