What do you do to make it seem like Christmas?

Tiny bit homesick today. Been baking my Mum's Christmas cake while listening to my husband talk to his Dad on Skype (with his broad country Queensland accent). My dad-in-law was watching the cricket at the time and they discussed their beloved sport. Actually, one of the things I miss most about an Australia Christmas is kicking back and watching (and listening to) the cricket.


Today we had an American ask us about what we feel like doing as Aussies, to make it feel like Christmas. One is that yearning to listen to cricket. it was possible for a few years, via broadband, but now they've put in place all these regional restrictions, which means that unless you're in Australia or a couple of other countries in the world, you cannot listen to it via the internet. :-(


We might take the cricket bat down to the local park and play some "backyard" cricket. It isn't quite the same, however, without the grass and the heat.


No, we don't particularly feel like going for a swim. Both of us spent have spent all our lives in inland places at Christmas time, so we don't really personally associate the beach with Christmas Day. Neither of our families have pools, so neither of us really have swimming as a personal association. Running through the sprinkler, maybe. But that has been taboo in recent years due to water restrictions in Australia.


I don't really miss the long distances of travel that I've done routinely, especially since I started hanging out with David all those long years ago. Instead we're currently arranging "Skype" appointments and will stay home to talk to family. Thankfully this time most of them will be in only two spots. This year Christmas is a Sunday, so we'll be at church in the morning too, which will delay the present unwrapping frenzy somewhat! 


Food we miss includes Mum's plum pudding, hot-weather food like pavlova (Australian meringue dessert), jelly (US=jello), fruit mince pies, punch, potato salad etc. Oh and the boys always miss Weetbix, no matter the season!


I don't miss the Boxing Day sales (for non-Commonwealth citzens, that is the day after Christmas, explanation here, the sales are somewhat similar to Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that the US "celebrates"). I've rarely gotten involved in these. Often on Boxing Day we've been driving from Central Queensland to Toowoomba on lonely country roads or the reverse, a whole day's drive. No time for shopping when you have family so distantly situated. Not that I enjoy shopping in frantic crowds. Never mind the sales, I find sales at other times of year!


Nor do I miss watching the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Cricket is much more interesting!


But truly, we've developed this bi-cultural, bi-hemispherical Christmas in our family. When we're in Australia, we do the "Australian" version of Christmas. It mostly involves visiting family and driving. In Japan we have just us, no family to run around and visit. So we have a very simple day (after frantic present unwrapping, with David saying, "take your time") with a hot midday meal, and Skyping with family. And some Australian Christmas fruitcake. Which reminds me, I'd better go and check the cake in the oven.