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Flying Fur StudiosHey girls. I have a really weird question for all of you that are having summer right now.
Does your image of Santa still include some guy from the North pole, dressed all warm?? Or does your Santa wear shorts??
Sounds like a weird question, but my boyfriend and I were wondering.
I can' imagine going tanning, after opening gifts christmas day. 
Jazzy Rags
Heather Santa has to sweat it out in his big red hot suit (poor Santa )
Flying Fur StudiosThanks Fran.
Poor Santa 
Christchurch, New ZealandSanta in his red suit is still big here in NZ...although more and more Xmas cards are showing him in board shorts and singlet 
Christmas lunches are also becoming less and less traditional with the BBQ very popular.
Patsy Lake BearsI used to cook a tradional Christmas dinner ....but not now it is too hot to eat it .. so Christams is seafood cold meats and salads ... it is still odd to me .... I used to love preparing Christmas dinner I would get all the vegies prepared the night before cook the turkey overnight and play Santa.. next morning I would put the pork in the oven with the vegies to bake...... Christmas pudding on to steam.
Delartful BearsYes, still dressed in red. There are some untraditional imagines of santa, wearing t-shirt, shorts, and thongs (flip flops LOL) I really like the imagine of him with a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other, standing at the barbie on the beach! LOL
It makes me cranky seeing trees, christmas cards, houses, covered with white. We're not in England or America, we should celebrate our aussie christmas!
Having said all that, my Mum has experienced a white christmas... a freak of nature!!!!!!!!!! LOL
Gee Patsy, I can't imagine cooking a big dinner in the heat!!!!!!! Must be more comfortable now you're having cool lunches/dinners!
Danni
Posts: 8,574Patsy, maybe you need two Christmases.....so you can cook the big dinner?
YIKES
Delartful BearsWell, funny you should say that. We have a Christmas in July, where a lot of restaurants etc offer a traditional christmas dinner during July. I love it .... It's really cold during July - so it's perfect to eat a big roast dinner.. YUMM
Danni
Rufnut Teddy'sYeah Heather, our impression of Santa is dressed in a big red suit all the way from the North Pole. Definitely no shorts allowed. Thats not traditional.
Yeah it is weird to have summer during Xmas, especially when all the Xmas cards sold here have snow scenes in them, I wish we had snow, I think it would feel much better and more like a traditional Xmas. Well Boxing Day last year, it hailed that hard the ground was covered in white ice. It was freezing too. It felt more realistic and our kids loved it too.
I would dearly love to spend Xmas over your end of the world for one year anyway 
. I will stick that on my wish list anyway.
It must be strange having a hot Christmas.A white one looks lovely.We normally get snowed in and have power cuts.We have to go to bed at 4.30 when it gets dark and take dogs in with us for heat.The village I live in has no gas supply and very few open fires so when the electricity goes we are all stuck.We were like Australians last year and had a BBQ.It was great fun in the snow!
Wild Thyme OriginalsMy hubby and I actually had a discussion about this the other day!!!! We went to one of those living nativity scenes with the kids.... I LOVE those! Anyway, it was 20 degrees here with snow falling down, and the donkey was there, a couple of gorgeous sheep, a cow, people dressed as shepards... Mary & Joseph the whole deal.. and my 5 year old said, "It looks just like the first Christmas with all this snow around the manger!" And, my first reaction, was, YES, of course it does... then I really thought about it... I mean what WAS the weather really like in the Middle East area 2000 years ago? HMMMM.... I'm sure there must be a website about that, huh? Anyone know?
Anyway, I think it really is so easy to caught up in thinking that Christmas is supposed to be like the whole world lives in New Hampshire... chestnut roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose....and all that... but in so many areas of America as well as many other countries, it's so not that! I mean, to me that all fits because I have always lived in north east Ohio, and it's like that all winter here, but that really is sort of a manufactured idea, isn't it! I don't mean to sound cynical here, because like I said, I am so into the whole "traditional Christmas" thing, but when you really think about it, it's not all that traditional, is it!? I think it's nice to remember that all those outer trappings, as wonderfully fabulous as they may be for many of us (me included!) are not REALLY what it's all about anyway.... Maybe an Aussie Christmas is more on target with it!? Though I do think it's pretty cold in the desert town at night... Anyone KNOW?
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Beary truly yours,
Good, interesting points, Kim. Kinda like how everyone -- artists, scholars, individuals -- seem to inevitably represent Jesus as a lily-white, light-brunette guy.
In all liklihood, historically and culturally speaking, He was probably much more physically akin to Omar Sharif!
Wild Thyme OriginalsYea.... exactly Shelli! We do sort of all get wrapped up in our European Renaisssance/Victorian England vision of what it's all supposed to be, and we forget that it really wasn't like that! I know one year, my oldest asked me how Santa "got down the chimney" of the stable to visit the baby Jesus, since there wasn't a chimney on the stable...... Terribly funny in my book, but the whole thing is just really confusing...!
I remember my first Christmas with a non-Santa believer.... Baxter really did enjoy "playing along" for the sake of the young ones anyway.... It does make it a little different, but your "big guy" will have just as much fun "believing" for the sake of his younger sibling!
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Adorable BearsCooking a traditional hot meal for Christmas dinner is not difficult these days as most homes are air conditioned, unlike when I was a child and my Mun had to cook a meal on a wood fire stove...no air conditioning and weather around 110F.
But with an abundance of fresh seafood, even inland, it is very tempting to have a cold meal or a combination of both.
My husband and I will be going to a resteraunt , together with his 83 y.o Mum, for midday Christmas meal so I won't have to worry about cooking . Later in the evening we will go for a long walk...to work some of the indulgence off..then go for a swim.
Last weekend we went strawberry and boysenberry picking at a nearby farm so there will be homemade jam on fresh baked bread toasted for Christmas brekky.
I have already smelt the wonderful smell of freshly cut hay on nearby farms so it at least smells like Christmas !
Whatever, you do...have a great day.Enjoy.
Susan
Gatehouse GalleryIt probably seems strange to those in the northern hemisphere, but our Christmas starts on the sunday evening before Christmas when the Rotary Club in Bendigo holds its annual 'Carols by Candlelight', in a big park.
My father is a member and dog show friends of ours drive across with a trailer full of Samoyeds. We all meet at a secret location near the park and hook up the dogs to a large sleigh with coloured lights and a big jolly Santa.
When we get our cue (mobile phone these days) we begin our run....across the road.....You should see the looks on the peoples faces when they get stopped by the police so Santa can cross the road!!....and thru the park...with 8 of us, 10 security guys (to keep the children from getting run over) and 7 dogs pulling the massive sleigh it must be a great sight. Santa gets up on the stage to talk to the children while we grab drinks and give the dogs a rest and then its time to fight our way back to base.
You can't imagine the funny things that have happened over the last 14 years, like the time the sleigh JUST MISSED hitting a parked car(imagine the insurance claim), or the night we nearly ran over a sleeping drunk(he wasn't sleeping for long) but seeing the joy on the faces of those children has been the best.
After we've finished we go back to the park and sit together and sing carols in the summer night and THEN I'm into the Christmas spirit.
Past Time BearsWow, Glenys . . . what a nifty idea and great way to get in the spirit!!
Flying Fur StudiosWow, this has been soo interesting. I guess christmas does seem unfair to all of you that have warm weather eh? I never thought of the traditional christmas dinner as bad to eat in warm weather. The thought has just never crossed my mind. I do like the idea of xmas in July for you guys, have your big turkey dinner then.
I still just can't imagine xmas in summer, but you guys have sure helped alot.
Air conditioning at xmas!! What a riot! I still remember being in California at xmas time and I saw people cutting the grass AROUND thier xmas decorations. Crazy stuff, but to have the AC on!!!!
I love my white christmas's, but I would switch with you guys down under in a heart beat!!!
Now, another question if I may,
When do your kids get out of school for a couple months?? Here it's in the summer, July Aug. What about over there?
Adorable BearsDon'r feel sorry for us...we LOVE our hot Aussie Christmas. Yes most towns have their Christmas carols in the parks..under the stars.
Christmas eve and /or Christmas night sitting outside near the pool. Lights making the garden a wonderland. Heady perfume of Summer flowers...fresh fruit, seafood platters..barbeques. Christmas blending into long Summer holidays (for school children at least).People out walking as it is not dark until after 8pm.
Love it !
Susan
Delartful BearsOh the kids have the long holidays close to Christmas, then get back in February. That means, that they start their new grade at the start of each year. I think that makes sense..I heard the kids overseas start their new grade at the end of their long holidays. Seems odd to me LOL
Oh but with the Summer cames non-ratings on TV. I have to say, this year is VERY thin on the ground... not much to watch!
Danni
Rufnut Teddy'sYeah Heather, Danni has the holidays summed up right, our kids break for Christmas holidays on the 21st December, they don't return back till early February, that is their main summer break and main holidays. School terms are normally btn 9 to 10 weeks, then they get a 2 week school break between each term. There are 4 terms in the year.
So us poor old parents need stacks of holidays if we are both working. I cannot wait until they finish I will be off with them this time around, and believe me, I am ready for a holiday. :dance:
Just hoping they don't drive me around the bend. :pray:
