12 Reasons The Holiday Season Is Better In Australia

While snow and roasted chestnuts all sound like they could be fun, it's definitely not how Australians experience the holiday season.

1. Myer Christmas Windows

Live Travel Blog / Via live-travel-blog.com

In a tradition that dates back 59 years, Myer, an Australian department store, always draws crowds to its animated Christmas window displays in its Melbourne store. The unveiling of each new year's themed display (starting, of course, in early November) is always a big event on Melbourne's calendar!

2. Aussie Christmas Carols

Youtube / Via youtube.com

No one this far south is going to be dreaming of a white Christmas, so of course Australians are going to come up with a couple of our own unique carols. Just hearing them is likely to give every Australian nostalgia for those hot and sweaty days as a child, practicing these patriotic songs for an end of school concert.

3. Mangoes

Department of Agriculture / Via agric.wa.gov.au

Summer in Australia is a season in which mangoes are practically dropping off trees, so don't be surprised to see whole trays of ripe, perfectly blushed mangoes going for just $10! When you first catch a whiff of that distinctive smell in every fruit store, you know that Christmas isn't far off.

4. Carols by Candlelight

My Fair Melbourne / Via myfairmelbourne.wordpress.com

Started in Melbourne, the Carols by Candlelight soon spread to Australia's other capital cities, and even to the smallest little towns and suburbs. On a balmy summer night, there's nothing better to get you into the holiday spirit than packing a picnic, grabbing a couple of friends and an esky of beer and singing along to carols in your local park.

5. Seafood Lunches

Catherine Ling / Via Flickr: camemberu

While roast ham and turkey have their place, it certainly isn't on the swelteringly hot days that Australia usually gets around Christmas. Prawns, oysters and other seafood are instead a firm favourite for Chrissy lunch, although you may have to queue a while at the fish market to get them fresh!

6. Sparkling Reds

The Fabulous Ladies' Wine Society / Via fabulousladieswinesociety.com

Despite the heat, we Aussies won't completely spurn the tradition of a big, heavy Christmas lunch, although the question of what to drink with it is always an interesting one. Long an Australian classic, sparkling red wines (once called 'sparkling Burgundy') were once a must-have item on your Chrissy table, and are now experiencing a resurgence in popularity. The heavy red wine characteristics match perfectly with ham and turkey, but it is also traditionally drunk chilled, perfect for the summer heat!

7. Swimming on Christmas Day

Next Trip Tourism / Via nexttriptourism.com

For most Aussies who live near the coast (which means around 85% of the population) Christmas day is ideally spent in or near the water. Christmas morning often means unwrapping new swimmers, beach towels and boogie boards, and crowding down to the nearest beach, or inviting yourself over to a relative's house with a pool.

8. Boxing Day

News.com / Via resources1.news.com.au

The day after Christmas Day is just as important as the day itself in Australia. For one, it's a shopping holiday as big as Black Friday is in the US. And for everyone who isn't stuck dealing with the crowds in the shops, it's also a national public holiday! Others might think of it better as "that day when all the movies that were out months ago in the US are finally released in Australia."

9. Sydney to Hobart

SBS / Via sbs.com.au

Speaking of Boxing Day, the day after Christmas kicks off with more of a bang for some, as it is the traditional start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, one of the most difficult yacht races in the world. Come Boxing Day the harbour is invariably filled with a flotilla of hopeful vessels, and the shores lined with those waiting for the race to begin.

10. Extended Holidays

National Parks / Via nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

Having Christmas in summer also means it's smack bang in the middle of our summer holidays! With a lot of businesses closing for staff holidays during January, it is the perfect time to put all those new Chrissie gifts to the test. January is prime time for camping trips, beachside getaways, and getting away with not wearing shoes for the better part of a month!

11. Sydney Harbour Fireworks

News.com.au / Via resources2.news.com.au

Not to neglect the other end of the holiday season, New Year's Eve in Sydney is possibly one of the biggest spectacles to be seen anywhere in the world in the first few minutes of the new year. With fireworks going up from the iconic Harbour Bridge, and plenty of other locations across the harbour, this isn't an event to be missed! You'll find dedicated Aussies camping out the prime viewing spots from up to 24 hours before the fireworks begin.

12. Fireworks Anywhere!

ABC / Via abc.net.au

Of course, if you can't make it through the crowds to see the Harbour Bridge, if you head down to your local beach it's more than likely that someone will be setting off fireworks! Grab some cheap bubbly, go without shoes and just enjoy the night on the sand in true Aussie style.