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Santa in the sun vs. a winter wonderland Christmas
No place like home for the hols.
As cheesy as it may sound, there really is no place like home for Christmas. Spending the festive season in another country can really make you appreciate Christmas in Ireland, because as far as I’m concerned, it’s downright unnatural to hear Bing Crosby belting out ‘Winter Wonderland’ when you’re doing your shopping in an air-conditioned, 7-level Australian mall when the sun is beating down outside. I completely understand why some Irish and British ex-pats in Oz have Christmas parties in July (during the Australian winter) to celebrate Christmas as it should be: in the cold!
It’s hard not to miss the little things when you celebrate Christmas in the sun, things that you wouldn't think that you'd miss like stodgy roast potatoes with gravy! Most Australians don't really "do" Christmas food and a "traditional" Aussie Christmas dinner consists of seafood. Now don't get me wrong, I like seafood and I don't really think many people could manage to cook or indeed eat turkey in 38 degree heat, but still. No offence to the entire southern hemisphere, but give me a good old-fashioned cold Christmas over theirs any year!
In terms of brr-illiantly cold Christmases the Germans really know how to do winter festivities. They usually get cracking at the end of November with vendors serving mulled wine to bundled up couples and long-suffering parents at ice-rinks and massive markets selling sparkly trinkets appearing in most city squares. And unlike the Aussies, Germans know how to do Christmas food- they have a massive selection of Christmas confectionery!
But I think that one of the best things about a northern hemisphere Christmas has to be the fact that the weather gives you an excuse to wear the funkiest coats, mittens, scarves and earmuffs you can find. I will hold my (gloved) hands up and say that there’s something about freezing weather that makes Christmas more special. I guess it’s got a little something to do with all the opportunities cold weather presents to light a fire, watch terrible soppy movies, eat sweets from a giant tin (never acceptable at any other time of year) and generally laze about irritating loved ones.
In Ireland we may not always get beautiful icy weather like in Deutschland but there’s always that excitement that maybe, just maybe, it’ll snow on Christmas morning so everyone can rush outside to pelt snowballs at each other. Sure, if it does snow it’ll be slush in an hour and gone completely in two, but there’s just something magical about having a proper, bitterly cold Irish Christmas!
By: Lorraine O'Hanlon
