Christmas comes at the beginning of winter, so our festivities often incorporate fireplaces, comfy sweaters, hot cocoa, and sleigh rides with jingle bells. No to mention fatty winter food, evergreen trees, snowflakes, and plenty of other winter iconography.
But Christmas isn't cold for everyone. Head south of the equator, where Santa makes his rounds a few scant days after the summer solstice, and the imagery of the festive season starts to gets a little confused. This is particularly evident in Australia, where British and American cultural influences collide with the inescapable realities of the weather, resulting in a lot of sweaty people in Santa hats lolling about on Bondi Beach.
Australians still love Father Christmas in his fur-trimmed coat (which he can take off), but he doesn’t have reindeer, which only live in the arctic. See some wonderful images of Christmas in Australia from the past and present at Atlas Obscura.
(Image credit: State Library of Queensland)
All week it's been in the high 70s. It's after 11PM and the windows to my house are still open.