As the next few days temperature starts to warm up or more commonly known as perfect beer drinking weather in Australia. I am reminded how hot weather and Christmas go hand in hand here in the land down under.
We wake Christmas morning to the sun beating down, dress in shorts and a singlet, before running to greet the gifts Santa has brought us. Followed is a lunch, a great feast of seafood, ham, BBQ meats and salads filling our stomach’s in preparation for the annual cricket match. The very cricket match where someone stubs there toe on the ground, your feet burn on the concrete as you go to fetch another beer and sunburn leaves you looking like that crayfish you devoured just an hour ago.
Meanwhile the northern hemisphere readies itself for a cold Christmas perhaps the perfect white Christmas. The house heated to a toasty temperature as you look for your slippers before seeking out the gifts Santa left you. Opening your presents as snow falls outside, the snowman you built yesterday standing guard by the front gate, waiting for the rest of the family to arrive.
Its these two examples of celebrating Christmas that fuel my travel desire. The way that something so routine to one person can be so exciting to another. Having grown up in Australia I can’t wait to live in a place where I need 5 layers of clothes and chains on the car to get to work, to have to drive on the other side of the road and hope I don’t kill myself, to celebrate summer in the middle of the year and not winter.
To most these are trivial mundane things. To me they are just like climbing out of bed when I was 5 and rushing to see what Santa had left me under the tree. They will be moments that I will never forget. The joy of travel can be so simple, its not about the Opera House, Big Ben and Disneyland. Its experiencing life as the rest of the world does that’s the special bit. Remember that and no matter where you travel, you will be rewarded ten fold.
That last paragraph is beautiful. 🙂
And I *SO* wanna come spend Christmas in Australia! Sunshine, bbq and beer at Christmas! Awesome!
Thanks Kristin, You will love christmas here in summer. The last 2 days I have spent is some form of food/alcohol coma all while enjoying the sun and being with my family.
In saying that I can’t wait for the opposite 🙂
SO true! Easy to forget the small things. I think it’s totally awesome you celebrate Christmas during the summer, lol. Although we don’t have a drop of snow here at all…
Its great, just don’t look at the sunburn I scored christmas day while downing a few beers. My arms are like lobster claws.
It will be weird to have a christmas without sun and BBQ’s next year. In saying that thought I can’t wait for it, christmas with new friends and no sign of the 30 degree weather I had this year, so excited.
I totally agree.
When I think back on three years of travel, it’s the so-called small details that stick out most. A field of sunflowers in southern France. Lila taking a picture of us in Italy and everyone stopping to watch bc they couldn’t believe a 3 yo knew how to use a camera.
And I agree, your last paragraph is just perfect.
Thanks for the post, Chris.
Hey Leigh, thanks for the comment. Hopefully I can gather some great memories like yours. It probably didn’t even matter if Lila got the photo right, more of a memory if she didn’t I’m sure.
Its always the out of focus or missing heads in photos that remind you of what you were doing at the time I think.
So true! Part of the beauty of travel is that it keeps one a bit like a perpetual 5 year old with that kind of enthusiasm because everything is new!
I can’t imagine an Oz Xmas, but we will see it some day & love it! We’ve been on an open ended, non-stop world tour since 2006 and so grateful to have found new ways to celebrate Christmas in new lands. You must some day celebrate 3 kings at Epiphany in a tiny white village in Andalusia!! 😉
The little things, the people, the beauty…those are indeed the things that make travel special. Doing ordinary things in extraordinary places can change you forever!
Happy travels!!
Hi soultravelers3 thanks for the comment. I know when that kind of enthusiasm dies it will be time for me to hang up the travel boots.
just as you can’t imagine an OZ xmas I can’t imagine a xmas with snow etc. With a bit of luck this year I won’t have to imagine it any longer. No doubt the dreams I have of it will be shattered but still I’m keen as mustard to experience it.
Since 2006 that’s awesome. I hope to have 5 years of open ended travel/work around the world. I’m starting with 2 years in the UK on a work visa so crossing my fingers.
That’s so true, I shall enjoy the little things more so when looking at them from the other side of the world.