We do it a little differently down under, from Christmas lunches to soaking up the sun, we love the unique and special way Australia celebrates the holiday.

1. The Surfing Santa

It’s bloody hot to wearing fleece, even for Santa so when he shows up its a quick outfit switcheroo to board shorts and switch the sleigh for a surfboard. Don’t be surprised if this is a little treat you stumble upon at the beach on Christmas day.

2. Prawns on prawns on prawns

Probably the most known Aussie phrase abroad is “shrimp on the barbie” but it’s not really shrimp, so we don’t know why that happened. Australia prefers its prawn over a honey glazed ham, or turkey. About 30 per cent of the country gets up at the crack of dawn to flock to a fish market the day before Christmas to secure a truckload of prawns, and if they caught it themselves, its a very weird flex but a well appreciated one. We’re already dreaming about the perfectly cooked prawn with some freshly squeezed lemon juice!

3. Boxing Day is for the beach and cricket

Apart from shopping, on Boxing day Aussies like to either unwinding at the beach after all the Christmas indulgence or setting up for the next gathering i.e a watch party for the Boxing Day test match.

4. Christmas lunch

Unlike the Northern hemisphere, we’re blessed with tons of sunlight during Christmas so most families enjoy a good old Christmas lunch which also tends to be more laid-back and casual than a sit-down dinner. In Australia, Christmas day is an all day affair, with bbq, cheese platters, Christmas crackers, and some kind water body is always involved.

5. Going out on Christmas eve

It’s never a ghost town on Christmas eve, people like to bring in Christmas day wide awake, the drinks are flowing, the joy is spreading and the fun is non-stop. Pretty in tune with how the rest of the holiday is celebrated.

6. Carols by candlelight

On the days leading up to Christmas, an event called Carols by Candlelight will run in different cities, where there will be performances (often from celebrities!) and the proceedings are almost always given to charity. So families will pack their little picnic baskets and stock on mozzie spray and head to a Carols By Candlelight to enjoy a little outdoor concert. Might look a little different this year though, we probably will have to enjoy it on TV, but hey, there’s always next year!

We can’t wait for Christmas now!