Wishing everyone who celebrates it, a safe and Merry Christmas and New Year.
We still call it that in Australia, even though we are a multicultural country, with people from over 100 countries living here.
For those who donât celebrate it, enjoy the break anyway. Itâs certainly been an interesting year on here and no doubt next year will be even more so.
And to all of our Antipodean friendsâŚwhatâs it like having Christmas in the middle of summer? âNormalâ is probably the answer to that. Seems weird to me.
Lots of watermelon and cold beer, which usually ends up with everyone drunk and spoiling for a fight by mid-afternoon. Trying to eat a big meal in the middle of the day, when itâs 40 degrees Celsius is not much fun.
Some people have a âChristmas in Julyâ instead, which means no crowds to battle on the roads or in the shops.
Itâs a bit dangerous getting drunk when youâre at the bottom of the globe - you could fall off
Our Christmas so far has been preparing the house and watching and waiting. Fires have moved south now, and they did a great job of keeping it out of our town. I live in the middle, about at the âaâ of Blackheath.
Yes, itâs been a horror start to the bushfire season, with over 1,000 homes lost and several dead. We have broken the hottest day record in several states and have had weeks of above 40 degree temperatures for 3 - 5 days at a time.
There are fires all over Australia, with it being the hottest continent on earth for December. Some places reached 50 degrees and thatâs in the shade. Itâs going to be a long, hot summer.
Iâve seen reports on the news and it just looks like hell at times. I really canât begin to imagine what it must be like to live with that. The temperatures are bad enough (I begin to melt at anything above 20 degrees) but the fires must be terrifying. Stay safe! And no fighting.