1. Surfing Santa. Traditional Santas wear bright red fleecy suits, lined with white fur and big black boots to fight off the northern winter. In Australia, it's summer at Christmas time so you're much more likely to see a boardshort wearing Santa on a surfboard.
Some Australians hang wreaths on their front doors and some people will also go out Christmas carol singing on Christmas Eve. People also decorate their houses and gardens with Christmas Trees and Christmas lights. Neighbors sometimes have little competitions to see who has got the best light display.
Santa Claus in Australia
Santa does use reindeer to pull his sleigh when delivering gifts to children in Australia. In order to prepare for Santa's Christmas eve arrival, the children: Hang stockings or socks on the bedpost or fireplace mantle. Help decorate the Christmas tree.
However, because it is summer the famous Santa Tradition in Australia has a little twist. Here Santa may be dressed in a lighter, cooler version of his infamous red and white suit. Anddd when delivering gifts to children in Australia, Santa does use reindeer to pull his sleigh.
Christmas in Australia Fact #2
Santa Claus arrives in a sleigh pulled by six kangaroos, or by boat or surfboard in Australia. What a fun fact this is! It's so different from how Santa arrives in other parts of the world. This is also a great opportunity to compare and contrast modes of travel for various climates.
The song, popular with school-aged kids, explains that Santa's reindeer get a rest while six white boomers (boomer is Aussie slang for a male kangaroo) lead Santa's sleigh through Australia! After all the toys are delivered, they even help a little joey (a baby kangaroo) find his mommy.
Australia. Australian children set out cookies for Santa, but instead of milk, they leave him an ice-cold glass of beer. After all, December is summer in the land Down Under.
What is Santa Claus called in Australia? These days most Australians call Atnas (his real name) “Santa”.
A Christmas tree, either real or artificial, is set up in the home and decorated with ornaments, candy canes, and tinsel. It's common for presents to be placed under the tree in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Christmas festivities begin in late November, when schools and church groups present Nativity plays. They sing carols throughout the month of December. On Christmas Eve, families may attend church together. Some children expect Father Christmas to leave gifts, and others wait for Santa Claus to visit and deliver gifts.
He will visit the Pacific Islands first and then onto New Zealand, leaving from the South Island. Santa will zig zag his way up and down Australia, making sure to visit every child's house before departing Australian airspace as he heads towards our northern neighbours.
First stop on Santa's route is the Pacific Islands, Ms Mckenna revealed. "He will be departing from the North Pole and heading down through the international date line, he will head through the Pacific islands, and then on to New Zealand.
Because of the seasonal changes in December in Australia compared to other parts of the country, Christmas is celebrated differently. So instead of being huddled by the fire, drinking hot chocolate, Australians head to the beach or have a day outside in the sun.
A few traditions for Christmas in Australia include Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve, which is an outside concert where people sing carols together. Many families attend midnight mass at their church, followed by sleep for a few hours and presents in the morning.
Australians hang Christmas wreaths on their doors and decorate their houses and gardens with Christmas trees and lights. They also decorate their houses with bunches of Christmas bush, a native Australian tree with small green leaves and cream colored flowers that turn a deep shiny red by Christmas.
This is because of the tilt of the earth. Australia is situated in the southern hemisphere and during the month of December, there will be the summer season in the southern hemisphere and the winter season in the northern hemisphere.
What is the elf tradition? The elves are Santa's scouts. Their job is to stay with their adopted families from December 1 and watch the children's adventures during the holiday season.
The well-known Australian Christmas song has Santa swapping his reindeers for 'white boomers' on his Australian run. Occasionally 'white' (albino) kangaroos do occur in nature, while 'boomers' is the slang term used to describe big, male kangaroos (and the Australian men's basketball team).
Secret Santa, also known as Kris Kringle, is a gift-giving tradition celebrated by workplaces all over Australia. Although popular, it also has the potential to go wrong.
Most Americans (67%) stopped expecting Santa to shimmy down their chimney by the time they entered seventh grade. Half (49%) of Americans say they stopped believing in Santa before the age of 10 – with a quarter (23%) reporting that they lost sight of him between the ages of seven (10%) and eight (13%).
Some follow the “rule of three.” This means that a child gets three presents, one for each gift baby Jesus received. Others believe in four: something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read.
Australia: Cold Beer
In the summer heat, it's tough to think of something less appetizing than a cup of milk. That's why down in the Southern Hemisphere, Aussies leave an ice-cold, refreshing beer for Santa to enjoy after his descent down the chimney.