This year will be ten years since we first moved to Australia. We arrived just after Christmas, in full Australian summer, and so began our first experience of not-quite-sure how to celebrate the holidays. We moved here permanently in 2015. We didn't bother getting a Christmas tree until 2021. In 2022, Jonathan put his foot down and insisted that we decorate. From 2015 to 2022, I thought of Christmas decorating as a way to fill a long cold night. It didn't come up here, not when the days were full of light, and greenery, and birdsong.
Thinking back, I've decided that the Christmas traditions that I grew up with are almost all indoor traditions. Decorating. Baking. Music. Painting. Video games. Here in the summer, I want to be outdoors. Botanic gardens, barbecues, beaches. Picnics. Grass.
Rather than oranges, we buy boxes of cherries, nectarines, and mangoes. No one wants to bake a heavy roast, even before the boy became vegan.
It has taken some time, but I think we have slowly developed new Christmas traditions that match the summer solstice rather than the winter one. The word "tradition" sounds so formal, though. Rather, these are just things we like to do during the holidays.
1. Walk to St Kilda Beach.
The walk takes us through Albert park, where the city buildings reflect off the lake. This time of year, the flame trees are in bloom, and they are spectacular.
2. Beach day further down the bay.
The water is clear and perfect for swimming. If you get there by public transit, you can pick a spot with very little car parking, and the beach is nearly empty even on a holiday.
3. Barbecue in the park with friends, and staying out late to watch the fruit bats fly over the fig trees.
4. Long walks through the city and botanic gardens.
5. Christmas Eve dinner with neighbours. Our empty nest neighbours have joined forces with us, the foreign misfits, for nontraditional vegan Christmas meals. This year we're trying a stuffed butternut pumpkin roast along with avocado and tomato salad.
And this year we've decorated.
Merry Christmas everyone.
