Summer Christmas in Australia

We were hoping Hudson would be experiencing his first roll in the snow by now, but the Boxing Day flurries we expected here in Vancouver quickly turned to rain… The Christmas snow that we were hoping would stick around, was washed away.

My parents picked us up from the airport and we drove home in dreary rainy weather. Although always happy to be home after a trip away, my mind wandered to the recent Australian beaches we had visited, and I daydreamed about the warm summer weather we just experienced.

It was definitely strange experience Christmas in the heat of summer. We are used to Christmas on the cruise ship and in the Caribbean, but although warm, it was still winter in the Northern hemisphere.

Australia summer was something different which I can’t quite explain, it was school holidays, beach BBQ’s, and ice cream trucks parked on the street. Not many people had their Christmas lights up, as it stayed light outside til late. I found it funny that everyone was still singing “dashing though the snow” and “winter wonderland” in the middle of summer.

Anyhow, it was fun to experience a different sort of Christmas. I did feel sorry for the Santa who we took the kids to meet, who was all dressed up in 35 degree heat at the local beach club/restaurant.

Christmas dinner wasn’t roast dinner, but local Australian Shrimp and Balmain Bugs! Balmain bugs aren’t actually bugs (thank goodness) but a lobster type seafood bought from the local fish market. They were delicious!! We also had cheese and charcuterie, salads, and plenty of desserts! Why don’t they sell/make pavlova in Canada? I am obsessed with pavlova! We had it topped with fresh Australian mango and passion fruit and delicious whipped cream! Yum.

Baby’s first Christmas was a blast! Hudson loved watching his older cousins open their gifts and even ripped open a couple of his own. Teta (grandma) bought him a talking Paddington Bear and matching book (brought from England) and his aunt and uncle bought him some cute outfits and a large sock monkey!

Mark and I didn’t plan to exchange gifts this year as the trip to Australia was our main present, but i still ended up with a stocking full of treats (a new book, lingerie, and a spa treatment ) and Mark got a facial and a couple new pairs of swim trunks I found in Australia!

We will always remember our Christmas spent in Australia. We loved seeing our family and watching our nephews on Christmas morning.  This was definitely one for the books 🙂 I’m hoping we will get snow over the next couple of weeks so we can have the best of both worlds!