A traditional Aussie Christmas

Eighty-eight percent of the world's population lives in the northern hemisphere, meaning more than 6.7 of the world's 7.7 billion people are in the midst of winter. And while that hardly means that the majority of those folks had a white Christmas last week (of course, a majority of those folks don't celebrate Christmas (and of course, neither do I, but that's besides the point)), it was still pretty fun to feel in a definite minority as Australia sweated through a roast-y summer Christmas.

For Christmas, I spent a week-long holiday in Tasmania, relaxing in Hobart with Candice and her family. A break from my last few "holidays," I actually got time to chill out, read, and do a bit of nothing. And the setting could not have been better.

Sunset over the River Derwent from the porch.

While the weather was hot and the days long—Hobart enjoys more than 15.5 hours of sun in the summer given how far south it sits—there were some trappings of Christmas in the states. There were Christmas decorations, including a tree with presents underneath, there was ham and turkey for Christmas dinner, and just like back in Atlanta, there were board games and card games to be played after loading up on food.

The Christmas dinner spread with a ham, turkey, oysters, prawns, and salads.

Of course, the sweltering temperatures weren't the only difference from Christmastime in the States. As one would expect, there are quite a few distinctly Australian events that surround Christmas here.

Accompanying the more traditional Christmas dinner offerings was fresh seafood, including oysters and some of the largest prawns (shrimp) I have ever seen. It helps that Tasmania is an island, and in general Australians live along the coast—85% of Australians live within 50km (31 miles) of the ocean.

For dessert, Candice's mum made a trifle. A traditionally English dessert (after all, Australia was a part of the Empire until 1901), I had never encountered one in the US, though I am sure some people make them. It was an amazing creation of layers of cakes, custards, various flavours of jelly (that is Jello), cream, chocolate, and fresh cherries. The five of us devoured the massive bowl in just two days, a testament to just how delicious it was.

The amazing trifle for dessert. Don't be thrown off by the spoon, the trifle was at least 16 inches in diameter.

While Christmas in the US means that football is heading toward the playoff (and I actually got to catch the Saints game on TV—a few NFL games are broadcast in Australia every week), for Australians it means its time to tune in for the major Boxing Day cricket test match and the Sydney to Hobart race.

Hanging out with some true blue Aussies, we did just that, with the cricket staying on in the background most of the day, with a quick channel flip for the start of the sailing race which leaves Sydney just after midday on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas). Being in Hobart, we even got the chance to see the early finishers following their arrival on the morning of 28 December.

Yachts lined up to depart Sydney on Boxing Day.

Three of the boats what made it to Hobart on the morning of 28 December.

Aside from the eating, reading, and relaxing, Candice and I got to do some exploring around Hobart. The morning after we arrived we went to Salamanca Market, a large outdoor market by the waterfront which was mobbed with Christmas shoppers. On Christmas Eve we headed over to MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, where I had visited a few years back during my road trip through Tassie. 

Hanging out on the rooftop of MONA.

After Boxing Day, Candice and I set our sights on Mt. Wellington, which looms above Hobart. The hike up the mountain was quite the trek, but the reward along the way was beautiful scenery and great views out over Hobart and the harbour.

Views from Mt. Wellington.

We left Hobart on Friday to head back to the mainland for New Years. But before we left, we made it to the first day of Taste of Tasmania, a week long event with food and drinks from farms, restaurants, vendors, wineries, breweries, and distilleries around the island. It was a perfect way to wrap up the trip, and also put us in the harbour to see the yachts from the Sydney to Hobart race. We even got a glimpse of the fifth finisher coming into the harbour as we left the city.

All in, it was a fantastic trip, and we were glad to not be in Sydney while it roasted through some record-breaking highs, with the Christmas heat index heading toward 40C (104F).

Besides record highs, the summer kicked off with some wild weather in Sydney. The day before we left town, we were treated to as close to a white Christmas as you can get down here: not one, but two massive hail storms in one day. The hail at my place got to golf ball size, with tennis ball size reported in the suburbs. The last total I heard put damage above A$125 million (US$88 million). My apologies for the camera being rotated vertically; I wasn't thinking!

Aside from the Christmas festivities in Hobart, I figured I should also share a bit more about what goes on around the holidays in Australia. More so than in the US, many offices close between Christmas and New Years, with employees required to take leave (note that the standard in Australia is four weeks off every year). In fact, many people (myself included) don't return to the office until 7 January.

Just like in the US, most companies have Christmas parties, though unlike in the US many seem to be themed, with people going all out by dressing up according to the theme. For example, my office did a botanically themed party in the Royal Botanical Garden, with people coming in all sorts of crazy outfits. I even got roped into the fun, dressing up in an inflatable dinosaur costume with five others, wandering across the city from the office to the party, bringing many smiles (and having plenty of photos taken) as we wandered through the crowded CBD.

In all our dinosaur-y glory.

My apologies for the ramblingness of this post, but had a lot to get in in a short amount of time. I have spent this morning reading and getting the house ready for friends who should be arriving shortly. Before I go back to work, I will be entertaining two friends who are visiting from Singapore (though I know them from the US)!

Looking forward to NYE celebrations tonight and a great start to 2019! Until next year...