What a wonderful world. Its tilted axis to the planetary plane gives us the seasons, opposite for north and south, as we orbit our sun.
How strangely we cling to traditions.
It’s Christmas in Australia, summer, hot and time for the beach yet many Christmas cards show snow-covered scenes. There are also the decorated homes with coloured lights, Santa, reindeer and a sleigh atop snow, artificial in our summer’s heat. White snow. Bright snow.
I pause and think of an Aussie Christmas, Santa decked in board shorts, wearing sandals and sunglasses, cool for the summer.
It’s white heat, bright heat, an Australian summer Christmas.
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Ross's Writing Blog 
gailatthefarm
December 24, 2012 at 11:12
I may have to have a Christmas vacation there!
Ross Mannell
December 24, 2012 at 11:46
Thanks for the comment.
I was just in town on Christmas Eve day. Our tourist explosion is underway. Hot day, plenty of traffic and large numbers of people make a change for our often quiet seaside town. I love this time of year even if just watching the people pass or chatting to complete strangers. I think I’ll keep our summer Christmas but it would be nice to see one Christmas in winter. 🙂
Judie McEwen
December 24, 2012 at 12:40
Ross, Christmas is Christmas, no matter what the temperature is! Hope you have a wonderful one!!!
Ross Mannell
December 31, 2012 at 08:16
Thanks for the comment.
Christmas is Christmas no matter the temperature… very true. 🙂
brebry Rinkly Rimes
December 24, 2012 at 12:40
Greetings from a muggy Newcastle (Oz) I enjoy the season here, all except for the tinsel decorations. I think they look garish under the hot sun. They looked good in the UK of my youth.
Ross Mannell
December 31, 2012 at 08:20
Thanks for the comment.
I’ve grown with summer Christmases but have seen the Yulefest decorations in the Blue Mountains (west of Sydney) during winter. It’s a little mid-year taste of a northern Christmas down here for those missing the cold Christmas times. 🙂
Jenny Matlock
December 30, 2012 at 07:08
I always think of Christmas with snowy fields and bare branches silhouetted against the silver of the sky.
Living in AZ changed my thinking on a lot of that.
But I still crave the white.
Ross Mannell
December 31, 2012 at 08:23
Thanks for the comment.
While I never experienced a snowy winter Christmas, I grew up with a mum who was a Bing Crosby fan. Every year, even to our latest Christmas, she plays his Christmas songs. Her particular favourite is “White Christmas” so, in an odd way, a white Christmas has been part of my upbringing. 🙂