Christmas Time

My mom sent me some questions that everybody apparently wanted to know. 

1) What do Christmas cards look like in Australia - do they have Coniferous trees on them? Snow?

Yes, there are some cards with snow and fir trees on them. There are also some with Santa surfing in board shorts. It seems strange to see snow on products relating to Christmas because it never happens here. I don't understand identifying a holiday with something that never happens on that holiday. 

 2) Do people put up Christmas trees? What kind?

Some must because I've seen exactly one store selling them. Why they don't just pick a local tree is beyond me. We don't have one in the apartment that I'm staying in because we are going away for Christmas. We'll see if the family we're going to see will have one. Somehow I think not. I really miss their smell...

3) Do people eat turkey & stuffing and such? I imagine no perogies or cabbage rolls. Is it truly shrimp on the barbi?

I guess we'l see? If it's 40 degrees I don't think that we'll be eating anything hot at all. Maybe cold turkey? Maybe just something on the bbq? I think it also might involve napping in the heat of the day? And they don't even call them shrimp here. They are prawns. 

4) Decorations? Do they have wreaths like we do of fir boughs?

Sure. But they're plastic. Not many people decorate at all. I've see one house that has a decoration:

That's it. No exaggeration. That's the decoration. 

There are some decorations in the CBD but I think that's more to remind people that it's gift giving season and that they should spend all their money. 

5) Kids are off school now, right? Are they in the middle of summer vacation? When do they go back?

They must be. They are everywhere at the moment. I think they go back sometime in Feb.  My friends are in university and they go back on Jan 10 but that's a completely different system. 

Tomorrow morning bright and early we are off to Adelaide. Four of us will be driving in a tiny car, so that should be pretty friendly. We've decided to go the long way along the Great Ocean Road, stopping over night. I can't wait to see it!

I hope you have the Happiest Christmas with all those warm and wonderful feelings that family brings. I will be missing mine more than I can say.