The first day of December is the official start of the hot, West Australian summer where the average temperature is 28C, though during the festive season, is usually in the low 30s.
While Canadians are searching for 'the snow shovels that were mindlessly tossed into the garage last spring' and preparing homes for the onslaught of winter snows that will probably cause havoc throughout the country, Aussies are bulldozing fire breaks, firing up the barbecues and preparing to spend endless days in the summer sun.
By the beginning of the month Christmas lights and decorations adorn city and suburban streets and the first weekend kicks off the celebration with the annual Christmas Pageant. It began 28 years ago with just a few decorated floats but has now grown to include even more floats, dancers, marching girls, acrobats, jugglers and clowns so that the parade will take an hour to pass any given spot on the route.
Roads are closed to traffic early in the day and many families make this a multi generational family picnic, arriving mid afternoon with parents, grandparents, children, hampers, blankets, chairs, toys and games to keep the children amused til the sun goes down and the parade begins at 7.30pm. An unspoken and unwritten code of honour applies here - if you've tagged a spot with blankets, hampers etc, no one will take it even though the crowds behind your chosen spot may be 20 people deep.
Santa and his elves are almost the last of the floats- but judging by the applause, are certainly the most popular!
Now too, ordinary suburban homes are transformed into twinkling Christmas delights with thousands of tiny lights trailing over roofs, up and down walls, over fences, decorating garden trees or lining pathways. Interspersed among the lights are nativity scenes, innumerable Santas, sleighs and reindeer, kangaroos and koalas wearing Christmas hats. Many displays also have a Christmas carol accompaniment.
Several tourist companies offer a three hour trip to see some of the displays. A report in our local paper tells us that one whole street has decorated their houses and it was so popular they put out a Guide Dog for the Blind collection box and in three years has raised enough money to train a guide dog. The twelve week old, golden Labrador puppy has been named after the street.
By mid December, office Christmas parties are in full swing and of course, hospitality venues all over the city are offering extra special deals on food and drinks. The river ferries are extremely popular and whether you prefer a wine cruise down river, a relaxing trip up river to the port city of Fremantle or just an afternoon listening to trad jazz on the paddle steamer, you must book early or you're out of luck.
But it never feels like Christmas until the weekend before Christmas Day. In spite of the street and store decorations, the carols blaring from the overhead Muzac in every mall and store, the frantic gift buying and the Christmas Pageant, it's not until we attend Carols By Candlelight that we realise there are only a couple of sleeps til the great day.
It began in Perth in 1946 in the Supreme Court Gardens, a park in the centre of the city. The event was well publicised and held on the Sunday evening before Christmas Day. Clutching blankets, drinks and snacks, hundreds of families arrived early, hoping to claim the best spot on the grass of the front few rows. Entry was (and still is) free although candles and songbooks were sold and the money donated to local charities.
Encouraged by our local musical talent, we joined in singing carols favoured for generations - and when we became hoarse, the Police Pipe Band or the Salvation Army Brass Band took centre stage to give us time to regain our voices.
Over the years as the city boundaries expanded and the population grew from a couple of hundred thousand to almost a million and a half, Carols By Candlelight became an annual event held simultaneously in hundreds of different city and bush venues - on river foreshores, parks or public gardens north, south and east of the city - but always outdoors.
The program is carefully thought out and as well as the traditional carols, often includes such gems as All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Teddy Bears' Picnic, The Cat Duet, Toreador's Song.
Audience participation is invited and the response enthusiastic and vocal. Overhead, the brilliant constellation of the Southern Cross bestows a blessing on this magical, balmy evening, and as the performers began the carol medley that is the finale, the sea breeze dies and the candles burn steadily and brightly.
In our multi-cultural society, Christmas Day is spent in a variety of ways:
some religions don't celebrate Christmas;
many who are not Catholic attend Midnight Mass;
some take the easy way out and book into a restaurant or hotel for Christmas dinner (no preparation and no washing up);
some choose a picnic on the beach that may fall anywhere within the range of basic sandwiches through a fish feast of whole fish, oysters, prawns, lobster, mussels etc, to the full Christmas dinner of turkey, chicken, ham, pork served cold with salad
others prefer a roast with potatoes and seasonal vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding
In our family, we celebrate with Christmas trees, Santa, gift giving and a traditional roast dinner that is typical of the caring and sharing that is Christmas. My sister provides the meats that are cooked outside in their barbecue kettle, mum roasts her delicious spuds (in dripping of course, not fat) in the electric frypan, my nephew (a baker/pastrycook) has baked both cake and pudding and his partner and their children have decorated the cake. My contribution is the brandy custard (from a dairy carton), the wines (from the local liquor shop) and Christmas crackers for everyone at the table.
After the Christmas crackers are pulled, we all wear silly hats and tell even sillier jokes before drinking a toast to absent friends. Over the years, we've been blessed with visits from family and friends in various parts of America, Australia, England and Thailand so this part of our celebration is very special to us.
I wish you all as much joy at your Christmas celebrations as I receive from mine.
Peace on earth, goodwill to all men.
Sue Winter was born in England but has lived in Perth, Western Australia since 1952. Now that she’s retired she has time to indulge in her hobbies of genealogy, travel, writing and showing visitors around her home state.
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