Colouring NestA summer Christmas in New Zealand and Australia
In New Zealand and Australia, Christmas comes at the start of summer and the long school holidays, so it is usually celebrated outdoors: lunch on the deck or a barbecue, a swim at the beach, backyard cricket, and carols in the park on a warm evening. Native plants that flower in December take the place of holly. In New Zealand that's the red pōhutukawa, known as the New Zealand Christmas tree; in New South Wales it's Christmas bush and Christmas bells.
Why is Christmas in summer down under?
The seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are the reverse of those in Europe and North America, so December is early summer. Christmas also falls just after the end of the school year, and many families take their main holiday between Christmas and late January. NZ History's article on a Kiwi Christmas sums up the result: less about snow and sleigh bells, more about sun, sand and barbecues.
Christmas traditions in New Zealand
- The pōhutukawa. The Department of Conservation explains that the blazing red flowers of pōhutukawa around Christmas have earned it the title of New Zealand's Christmas tree. Te Ara describes its crowns covered in red to crimson flowers around December. NZ History notes that the tree appears on greeting cards, in poems and in songs, and also holds an important place in Māori tradition.
- Santa parades. According to NZ History, Santa or Christmas parades are held around the country in November and December, and began in the main centres in the early 1900s.
- Summer holidays. Beach days, a bach or crib, jandals and backyard cricket are as much part of a Kiwi Christmas as presents.
- Local songs. Many carols have been adapted for New Zealand settings, with native birds and summer weather.
- Meri Kirihimete. "Merry Christmas" in te reo Māori, as listed in Te Aka Māori Dictionary, appears on many cards and shop windows.
Christmas traditions in Australia
- Carols by Candlelight. Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight began in Melbourne in 1938, founded by radio broadcaster Norman Banks, and is the country's oldest and best-known Christmas concert. Councils and communities across Australia hold their own outdoor carols.
- Native Christmas plants. The Australian National Botanic Gardens lists several Australian Christmas plants, including New South Wales Christmas bush, which turns red in summer, and Christmas bells, which flower in summer. Its page includes an old newspaper picture of a boatload of Christmas bush being rowed towards Sydney for sale.
- Outdoor eating. Many families swap a hot roast for seafood, salads and a barbecue, with pavlova or fruit for dessert.
- Beach and pool. A Christmas afternoon swim is common, with sun safety front of mind.
Sun safety on Christmas Day
December UV levels are high in both countries. Cancer Council Australia's SunSmart advice is to use all five steps: slip on covering clothing, slop on SPF 50 or 50+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen at least 20 minutes before going outside and reapply it every two hours, slap on a broad-brimmed hat, seek shade, and slide on sunglasses. Plan outdoor games for the morning or late afternoon, and set up a shady spot for quieter activities such as colouring in the heat of the day.
Planning a summer Christmas Day with children
A hot Christmas Day goes better with a plan that follows the sun:
- Early morning: presents, breakfast, and any outdoor games or a walk while it's cool.
- Late morning: help in the kitchen or set the table outside in the shade; let children make place cards or name tags.
- Lunch: eat in the shade and keep water jugs on the table.
- Early afternoon: the hottest, highest-UV part of the day. Bring the quiet activities out now: colouring, puzzles, a new book or a board game indoors or under a tree.
- Late afternoon: a swim or the beach once the sun is lower, with sunscreen reapplied.
- Evening: leftovers, carols on the radio or television, and an early night.
At school, the year finishes before Christmas, so classroom Christmas activities happen in the first weeks of December, alongside end-of-year concerts and prize-givings.
Summer Christmas activities for kids
- Colour a pōhutukawa Christmas tree and hang it where a pine tree might go, or send it to relatives overseas.
- Make jandal gift tags. Colour, cut out and punch a hole for ribbon.
- Draw Santa at the beach in board shorts. What would he need for a summer Christmas Eve?
- Make a shell wreath from collected shells, or colour a printed one.
- Native bird ornaments. Colour a tūī or pīwakawaka (fantail), cut it out and hang it on a branch.
- Christmas cards for the other hemisphere. Children with family in Europe or North America can draw what Christmas looks like here: sun, sand and flowers.
- Beach treasure hunt. A list of things to find on a Christmas walk: a red flower, a shell, a feather, a crab.
