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Event
Information:
Special events for international
tourists away from their families
are held on Bondi Beach in Sydney.
These may involve a turkey barbecue
and such humorous stunts as a fake
Santa dressed in a Santa suit
surfing in to appear to the crowd.
The
Australian traditions and
decorations are quite similar to
those of the United Kingdom and
North America, and similar wintry
iconography is commonplace. This
means a red fur-coated Santa Claus
riding a sleigh, carols such as
Jingle Bells, and various
snow-covered Christmas scenes on
Christmas cards and decorations
appear in the middle of summer. The
traditional Christmas tree is
central to Christmas decorations and
strings of lights and tinsel are
standard. Decorations appear in
stores and on streets starting in
November, and are commonplace by
early December. The tradition of
sending Christmas cards is widely
practised in Australia. The price of
a Christmas postage stamp is lower
than that for a standard letter;
senders are required to mark the
envelope "Christmas card only" when
using the lower priced stamps. As
novelties, some Australian
songwriters and authors have
occasionally depicted Santa in
"Australian"-style clothing
including an Akubra hat, with
warm-weather clothing and thongs,
and having his sleigh pulled by
kangaroos, (e.g. Six White Boomers
by Rolf Harris) but these depictions
have not replaced mainstream
iconography.
As
Christmas falls in summer, the
watching of television is not a
strong part of Australian Christmas
traditions, unlike in the United
Kingdom, in which it is one of the
most important days for television
ratings. Television ratings in
Australia are not taken during the
summer and schedules are mostly
filled with repeats of old
programmes or previously cancelled
shows. Some Australian-produced
programs have a Christmas special,
though often it will be shown early
December and not on Christmas Day
itself. Many television stations
rerun old Christmas-themed films in
the weeks leading up to and
including Christmas Day, such as
Miracle on 34th Street, National
Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and
various film versions of A Christmas
Carol.
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