Santa Claus in Australia
Australians celebrate christmas in the heat, but Santa still comes riding in his sleigh.
Dec 22, 2006
Christmas in Australia, is in many ways like Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere with Santa Claus coming to visit the children in homes across the country. He comes down the chimney and leaves gifts, but in a slant on the usual image of a reindeer drawing Santa’s sleigh many Australians cherish the image of huge Kangaroos hopping the sleigh across the sky. This is epitomized in an Australian Christmas carol by Rolf Harris “Six White Boomers” (boomers being slang for kangaroos, because of the boom sound they make as they land). The chorus goes
six white boomers
snow white boomers
racing santa claus through the blazing sun
six white boomers
snow white boomers
on his Australian run
Complete lyrics including the spoken introduction
When Santa Claus pays Australians a visit it is one of the first places in the world to receive his miraculous gifts.
The Santa Tradition
Australian children write their letters and address them to Santa at the North Pole just like they do in the Northern Hemisphere, but different families have their own traditions. Some children write no letters at all, and some have to limit requests to one item. In some families presents from Santa appear under the tree and these are considered the children’s gifts, adults then only give presents to each other, and in some households Santa gifts miraculously appear in stockings and other gifts are also laid out under the tree from and to all family members. Santa traditions are as individual as the families he visits.
The Australian Santa
Images of Santa in Australia range from the traditional jolly old man with fur lined coat to Santa in spotty board shorts taking a swim in a pool. Australians love irreverence and Christmas time is no exception and Santa is the perfect mark. Santa’s with bare bellies sunhats and sunglasses are just as common as the jolly cold weather fellow. Christmas cards depict him dancing with kangaroos, water skiing, communing with koalas and having a BBQ in the bush. Roland Harvey started an “Australian Santa” fad with his great Christmas cards. The Australian Santa is full of summer fun, he throws off the furs and dives into the sea and seems to be relieves to let go of the Northern Hemisphere Winter and jump into the laid back Australian Summer. Australians love Santa, but they have given him the “Aussie” treatment to make him their own.
