Question to anyone living in Australia and so on: Does Santa Claus arrive also in the southern hemisphere on the 25th dec.?
Thank You. I hope you get a lot of gifts…
Elisa
Of course he does!
Well, technically he arrives on the night of Christmas Eve/the morning of Christmas Day.
And in Australia (well, in every Aussie household of Anglo-Saxon background that I know) we open our presents on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve isn’t as big a deal as it is in Northern Hemisphere countries (although many people go to church services on Christmas Eve).
It depends largely on whether you have been naughty or nice.
It’s important not to overlook factors such as this.
Not to mention being seen in our local shopping mall from approx early November!
… and all the Santa Parades …
Unless they’re – gasp! – imposters!
Thank You, but it comes dressed in his traditional red and white cloathing and driving a sledge with reindeers although in dicember it’s very hot there?
The red coat, the reindeer, the full works!
Rumour has it that Santa tried a gig in board shorts and sunnies one Christmas but he didn’t quite cut it with the kids!
Our Santa duplicates are extreme masochists here in NZ, elisa. They wear all the gear, including white gloves, beard, the whole she-bang. Very, very sweaty at the end of the shift! And, yes, we do have the reindeer thing – only they’re model reindeer mainly, and at times we replace reindeer for Clydesdale horses.
I hear elsewhere they’ve adapted to Santa Claus wearing shorts and jandals, but they’re the exception rather than the rule.
But he doesn’t use Reindeer. Too hot. He is pulled by 6 White Boomers. Snow White Boomers.
‘On the first day of Christmas, my true-love sent to me…
An emu up a gum tree.’
And there’s fewer chimneys for the jolly old fella to slide down in our neck of the woods. His girth is a bit too ample for your average Coonara flue…
Oh honestly; he’s got a magic key, or something.
Do you really think Old St. Nick would risk the chimney biz these days with Neighbourhood Watch, extra-sensitive alarm systems, attack pets etc. etc. …?
Magic key? Oh, yes? Sounds a bit suss, that.
elisa, benvenuto al SDMB!
[sub]elisa, welcome to the SDMB![/sub]
Ecco un po’ di tradizioni di Natale in Australia.
[sub]Here is a little on Christmas traditions in Australia.[/sub]
I wager this is the first ever post on the Boards that has subtitles. 
Magic key?
It’s pixie dust, kids. 
Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun…
Of course! I do feel silly now.
Actually you can tell a True Santa Claus[sub]tm[/sub] by the fact that he remains cool despite Australian heat.
The ones that sweat are imposters.
I believe a True Santa Clause[sub]tm[/sub] carries a little patch of arctic around with him, although I’ll leave it to rjung to describe precisely how this is done.
The department stores in Australia cling to the old Christmas standards of fake snow and the like, but the rest of us will usually be found outdoors on Christmas day, drinking beer, watching the kids play in the pool with their new aquatic toys, and taking turns to tend the barbie.
The 2001 Christmas barbie at my place was particularly memorable because of the bushfires ringing Sydney. We were peering through the smoke haze, the sun was deep red, and blackened leaves were falling like rain.
“Aussie Jingle Bells”
1 . Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden[sup]1[/sup] Ute[sup]2[/sup],
Kicking up the dust, esky[sup]3[/sup] in the boot[sup]4[/sup],
Kelpie[sup]5[/sup] by my side, singing Christmas songs
It’s summertime and I’m in my singlet, shorts and thongs[sup]6[/sup].
Chorus
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way.
Christmas in Australia on scorching summer’s day, HEY.
Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute
[sup]
Copyright Colin Buchanan/Rondor Music (Aust.)
http://www.colinbuchanan.com.au/albums/ht.html
(post edited to include only first verse and chorus)
Glossary for Merkins
- Holden: General Motors
- Ute: Pickup (non-SUV type)
- Esky: Insulated beer cooler
- Boot: Trunk
- Kelpie: Australian cattle dog
- Thongs: Cheap plastic sandals (flip flops)
[/sup]
The typical scene on Christmas Eve in my city (in Argentina) would be a long table in the garage full of relatives, “a la italiana”; then, when fireworks starts at 0:00 someone sneaks with the presents, places them under the tree and, this done, whispers to the kids: “I think I heard sounds near the tree…”