Christmas in Australia © 2017 Stacey Jones at Simple Living

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My Cute Graphics Yvonne Dixon An Aussie Christmas Christmas in Australia is very different to Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere. Let’s find out more about how they celebrate Christmas in the LandDown Under!

Christmas is celebrated during the summer school holidays when the weather ishot. Many families go away during this festive season to visit family or go campingtogether.

To prepare for Christmas, people decorate reusable plastic Christmas treeswith baubles, lights and tinsel. The Christmas presents are placed under the treeor in stockings.

Many Aussies also decorate their housesand yards with light displays. There are competitions for thebest displays. Many families spend nights together driving around and checking out all of the light displays.

In the weeks before Christmas, all majorcities and towns host a local Carols by Candlelight event. These are outdoor events, so crowds gather and sit on picnic blankets or fold up chairs and sing Christmas carols whileholding candles. On Christmas Eve, themajor ‘Carols by Candlelight’ which started in Melbourne, Australia in 1937 by Norman Banks, is held. These ‘Carols by Candlelight’ are televised around the whole country. This event features many of Australia’s most popular singers and television personalities. A similar event, the Carols inthe Domain, is held in Sydney the week before.

© Simple Living. Creative Learning Christmas Day Christmas Day is celebrated on the 25th December each year. The first Christmas celebration was held in 1788 at SydneyCove. As Christmas Day is celebrated duringsummer, many families spend this day outdoors at the beach , the park or go campingtogether. Swimming, surfing and cricket are also popularat this time of the year. While preparing the table for the Christmas meal, bon bons are placed beside or on each person’s plate. These are also known as Christmas Crackers. Before eating,each person grabs one end of their cracker and another person holds the otherend and they pull. The bon bon makes a loud, crack sound and a paper hat, small toy and a joke can be found inside.

Christmas dinners vary with somefamilies celebrating at lunch and others at dinner time. The meals usually consist of turkey, ham, seafood and salads.

Meat is often cooked on the barbecue. The meal is often followed by dessert which usually consists of pavlova, ice cream, custard and plum puddings or fruit cake.

During the afternoon, families go swimming or play a game of backyard cricket.

Boxing Day Sales

This is the day that many stores begin their post Christmassales, also known as the Boxing Day sales. It is a great day to grab a bargain.

© Simple Living. Creative Learning Boxing Day Test The Boxing Day Test also starts on Boxing Day. This cricket test match is always played at the MelbourneCricket Ground with thousands of people watching.

It involves the Australian Cricket team which verses an opposing national team which is touring Australia that summer.

Every four years, this test forms part of the five-match Ashes series againstEngland.

Between 1999 and 2007, the Australian cricket team won all the Boxing Day Test matches.

This annual race is hosted by theCruising Yacht Club of Australian and begins in Sydney, New South Wales on BoxingDay.

The race covers a distance of approximately 630 nautical miles or 1,170 km, following the east coast of Australia. It is considered oneof the most difficult yacht races in theworld.

This race has grownconsiderably since the inaugural race in1945. Competitors from around the world come to be a partof it.

The current recordwas set by Wild Oats XI in 2012 with a time of 1day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds.

Since the 6th November, 1957, Australia Post has released a special set of stamps every Christmas. Design your own Christmas Stamp.

© Simple Living. Creative Learning Six White Boomers Since it is so hot in Australia at Christmas, it is said that Santa changes out of his suit into shorts, shirt and thongs to keep cool. Instead of using reindeer to drive his sleigh, he usessix white boomers. Boomers are malekangaroos. The names of the six boomers are:Jackaroo, Curly, Bluey, Two-Up, Desert-Head and Snow. The Chorus goes: Six white boomers, snow white boomers, Racing Santa Claus through the blazingsun. Six white boomers, snow white boomers, On his Australian run.

Pavlova

This is a famous dessert that is often served at Christmas. It is soft in the centre and crunchy on the edges. It is topped with cream and fruit.

White Christmas

This is another traditional Australian dessert that is eaten during the festive season. It used to be made with copha, milk powder rice bubbles and red and greenglace cherries .

Along with these, you will find coconut ice and rum balls.

Surf Life Saving Australia is committed to reducing coastal drownings. The most important flags are the red and yellow ones. These flags show that the lifesaver service is operating in between these flags. If you cannot see these flags, youshould not go swimming.

A plain red flag indicates that the beach is closed. A red and white checkeredflag indicates that a shark has been sighted in the water.

Christmas falls in the middle of the Australian Storm Season which brings lots of natural events/disasters. There are many thunderstorms, cyclones, floods and bushfires.

The SES is a group of volunteers that help out in emergency situations. SES standsfor State Emergency Services. They help with things like search and rescue, getting emergency supplies to flooded communities, temporary/ emergency repairs and the removal of fallen trees.

There are a number of native Australian plants that flower over the Christmas season. These plants have becomeknown as ‘Christmas plants.’ Some of these are Christmas bells, the Christmas bush and the Christmasorchid.

When the Europeans first arrived in Australia, they used these flowers as decorations at Christmas.

Yo u can find more information about Christmas Plants here. PhotoCredit.

© Simple Living. Creative Learning Christmas Beetles Beetles belonging to the genus Anoplognathus, are commonly known as Christmas beetles in Australia because the adults emerge around thattime of the year.

These beetles arearound 25mm long and are creamy-gold with dark parallel grooves on their wing-covers. They are mostly active at night and are often attracted to lights. These beetles feed on eucalypt leaves.

You can find more information about Christmas Beetles here. Photo credit.

What is Australia also known as?

What season is it at Christmas time in Australia? a. summer b. winter c. spring d. autumn

Where is Australia located in theworld? a. north of theequator b. south of theequator

Australia is surrounded by making it an .

What do many families do during the festive season? ______

Australians decorate plastic trees with tinsel, lights and baubles.

Decorate the tree:

How do some Australian families decorate their house? ______

Many Aussie families use ______, reusable trees instead of real ones at Christmas.

Where do the crowds meet to sing Christmas Carols? ______

Aussies like to cook their Christmas meals on a ______.

What is a dessert that many Australian families eat at Christmas? ______

Who keeps everyone safe on the beach? ______

The most important flags are what two colours?

1. ______2. ______

When does a red flag get flown? ______

Draw a ‘shark sighted flag’ Draw the ’swim between’ flags

Who keeps everyone safe on the beach? ______

The most important flags are what two colors?

1. ______2. ______

When does a red flag get flown? ______

Draw a ‘shark sighted flag’ Draw the ’swim between’ flags

What happens at stores in Australia on Boxing Day? ______

Where is the Boxing Day Test played? ______

Find Melbourne on the map

What sport is played at the Boxing Day Test? ______

What famous sporting event begins on Boxing Day at Sydney Harbour? ______

How far do the yachts travel during the race? ______

Find Sydney and Hobart the map

What is the current record which was set in 2012? ______

What are boomers? ______

When are Christmas Beetles most active? ______

What do Christmas Beetles feed on? ______

What does Santa wear when he is down under? ______

What are some of the natural disasters/events that happen in Australia during the summer months? ______

What does SES stand for? ______

What are some of the things the SES help with? ______

1. Queensland 2. Tasmania 3. Victoria 4. South Australia 5. Western Australia 6. Nothern Territory 7. New South Wales 8. Australian Capital Territory

© Simple Living. Creative Learning The following pages are Australian shaped notebooking pages. Print out as many as you would like, cut them out and staple them together. Make sure you cutit to leave Tasmania attached tothe main land.

What is Australia also knownas? The Land Down Under

What season is it at Christmas time in Australia?

a. summer b. winter c. spring d. autumn

Where is Australia located in theworld? a. north of the equator b. south of the equator

Australia is surrounded by water making it an island.

What do many families do during the festive season? Go to the beach or park, swimming, surﬁng or camping.

Australians decorate plastic trees with tinsel, lights and baubles. Decorate the tree:

How do some Australian families decorate their house? With Christmas Lights.

Many Aussie families use plastic, reusable trees instead of real ones at Christmas.

• Whatevent happens on Christmas Eve and is televised throughout Australia? • Carols by Candlelight

• Where do the crowds meet to sing Christmas Carols? At the local parks.

• Aussies like to cook theirChristmas meals on a barbecue.

• Whatis a dessert that many Australian families eat at Christmas?Pavlova

Who keeps everyone safe on the beach? The Surf Life Savers or Lifeguards

The most important flags arewhat two colours? 1. red 2. yellow

When does a red flag gets flown? When the beach is closed.

Draw a ‘shark sightedflag’ Draw the ’swimbetween’ flags

What happens at stores in Australia on Boxing Day? The massive Boxing Day Sales start.

Where is the Boxing Day Test played? Melbourne Cricket Ground

Find Melbourne on the map

Melbourne

What sport is played at the Boxing Day Test? Cricket

What famous sporting eventbegins on Boxing Day at Sydney Harbour? The Sydney to Hobart Yach t Race How far do the yachts travel during the race? Approximately 630 nau=cal miles or 1,170 km

Find Sydney and Hobart on the map

Sydney

What is the current record which was set in 2012? The current record was set by Wild Oats XI with a time of 1 day, 18 hours, 23 minutes, 12 seconds.

When are Christmas Beetles most active? They are most active at night.

Whatdo Christmas Beetles feed on? They feed on eucalypt leaves.

What does Santa wear when he isdown under? He wears shorts, a shirt and thongs.

© Simple Living. Creative Learning An Aussie Christmas What are some of the natural disasters/ events that happen in Australia duringthe summer months? There are many thunderstorms, cyclones, ﬂoods and bushﬁres.

What does SES stand for? State Emergency Services

What are some of the things the SES help with? They help with things like search and rescue, getting emergency supplies to ﬂooded communities, temporary/emergency repairs and the removal of fallen trees.

6 1 5 4 7 3 1. Queensland 8 2. Tasmania 3. Victoria 2 4. South Australia 5. Western Australia 6. Northern Territory 7. New South Wales 8. Australian Capital Territory

You can print out a map here: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Sydney_to_Hobart_Yacht_Ra ce#/media/ File:Sydney_to_hobart_yacht_ race_route.PNG