Hi circlip, it does seem rather ridiculous that Christmas trees, reindeer, holly and fake snow are everywhere here, and the temperature is in the 30s. I suppose it is a legacy of the early settlers who came from the northern hemisphere, and the tradition was carried on by their descendants. For many years, Christmas dinner was a huge hot meal of roast turkey or chicken, with baked vegetables, at least in our family. In recent times that has been changed to sliced ham, cold roast chicken or turkey, and salad, far more appropriate to our climate, and less demanding on the kitchen staff
Many Christmas cards however, still show snow covered landscapes. ??? We live about 400 metres from the beach, and snow is in July to September - about 1200km south of us (photos attached - we even have blue skies in the snow!)
All the best,
Peter.