Shephard's Alley

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Christmas in Australia
(from a very American Perspective)

I have to say, Christmas itself in Australia was not what we expected. And nothing I read on the internet really prepared this American for what he found. And I thought it was refreshing.

Christmas in Melbourne and Sydney seemed almost a sidedish to the main course of Summer. It was all about warm weather, beaches, bar-b-ques and summery activities! The cons: we had to seek out Christmas experiences with intention. The pros: instead of a somewhat lonely, quiet Christmas day, people were out and about, enjoying the weather, the beaches, good food in the restaurants, pubs, cafes and parks.

We've been to Paris and London and New York City around Christmas. The weather and the cities embrace the holiday, naturally. But... so do the people. Perhaps it's the drive to seek warmth from inside. But in these cities, there's no escaping what time of year it is, with Christmas music playing everywhere, and every single window decked for the holiday.

But in Sydney and Melbourne, about half the shops decorated and played music, the other half didn't (and believe me, we did a lot of shopping and can vouch for that figure). In fact, we found it baffling that most of the shops seemed to close at 6pm just 5 days before Christmas (I wonder if Aussies who work longer hours have to scramble to do their shopping?).

We asked for advice from locals, and cab drivers, and many didn't have any concrete advice or even awareness of the Christmas events we already knew about. It was as if the city was populated with strangers. We clearly asked the wrong people (repeatedly, lol). Because there was plenty of Christmas for those who looked for it!

I think I missed the Christmas music the most, though. And the compulsion for everyone to wear red and green. Harder to do perhaps when you're wearing flipflops and tank tops.

The summer vibe prevailed. And we felt very light-hearted. More so than Christmas in any other city we'd visited. Light-hearted was a breath of fresh air for Christmas.

One surprise we didn't think about til after the fact. The Sydney Opera House. No decorations or lights. Well, they do a spectacular fireworks show on The Harbour Bridge nearby on New Year's, but if you visited The Opera House, you'd have no idea it was Christmas. Not so if you visited so many other world icons.

I am no stranger to warm weather in DEC, having lived in Florida, but when you add in kids out of school, and people on holiday, it changes the vibe. And... we kinda liked it. Where else can you stand out on a warm summer's Christmas Eve, in the plaza of a large cathedral, listening to a girl's choir sing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" while fruit bats swarm the sky in the thousands, and cockatoos compete for attention? This fact tickled us no end (well, we do love bats, cockatoos, lights and Christmas music).

The best slice of Christmas we found at St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney near Hyde Park.... the aforementioned choir followed by (bats) a spectacularly lovely light and music display projected onto the cathedral that took your breath away. It would shame D*sney. That's how beautiful it was.

I am not sharing any of this as negatives for the amazing cities of Melbourne and Sydney. There are good reasons these cities are cited as some of the best and most livable cities in the world! I am sharing a difference that I discovered -- one I am certain, would be explained several ways if you asked different natives.

It's like noted travel-guru Rick Steves advises... when you travel, it's best to become a temporary local. When in Rome, as they say. And to be fair, we were tourists, we didn't have friends and family in these cities, and we didn't have the advantage of knowing where to look ... or who to ask. And in those cities... you kind of have to look for the Christmas Spirit. But it's there. And we came home restored, rested, well-fed, tanned and happy from our encounters with friendly locals and wonderful adventures in Australia.