Santa Claus goes by lots of names, depending on where you are in the world. In Australia and other English-speaking countries, he's usually called Father Christmas, Santa Claus, or sometimes just “Santa” for short.
Santa Claus or Father Christmas. The majority of Australia speaks English as either a first or second language and since the English were the people who introduced Santa to Australia it is their name for him that is used.
Then when July finally rolls around, this is when Australians celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense since it's colder. Although we know it as Christmas in July, Australians call this second celebration Yuletide or Yulefest.
Traditional Santas wear bright red fleecy suits, lined with white fur and big black boots to fight off the northern winter. In Australia, it's summer at Christmas time so you're much more likely to see a boardshort wearing Santa on a surfboard.
Snacks and beverages may be left out for Santa to consume during his visit, often milk and cookies, or a beer. Carrots are also commonly left for Santa's reindeer. The gifts are opened the next morning, on Christmas Day. Families traditionally gather for a Christmas Day lunch.
From the German 'Christkindl' (meaning “Christ Child”) the name Kris Kringel is also used in Australia and Great Britain to refer to a secret Santa gift exchange.
Australia. Australian children set out cookies for Santa, but instead of milk, they leave him an ice-cold glass of beer. After all, December is summer in the land Down Under. The children leave carrots for Santa's reindeer to munch on, too.
A Christmas song, “Six White Boomers,” tells the story of how the Australian heat is too much for Santa's reindeer. The song, popular with school-aged kids, explains that Santa's reindeer get a rest while six white boomers (boomer is Aussie slang for a male kangaroo) lead Santa's sleigh through Australia!
Australians love to celebrate, and Christmas is no exception. As well as exchanging gifts, families tend to enjoy big lunches with all the trimmings. Since it's summer, barbecues and outdoor games such as cricket are popular. You will also find many Aussies around pools or at the beach.
For those children and families with low vision, a large text reply from Santa is available by sending letters to Santa Mail (large text), North Pole 9999.
The most common verbal greeting is a simple “Hey”, “Hello”, or “Hi”. Some people may use Australian slang and say “G'day” or “G'day mate”. However, this is less common in cities. Many Australians greet by saying “Hey, how are you?”.
Santa Claus in Australia
The children in Australia believe in Santa Claus. However, since it is summer, it would not be unusual to see Santa dressed in a lighter, cooler version of his red and white suit. Shorts can even be seen! Santa does use reindeer to pull his sleigh when delivering gifts to children in Australia.
1. English: Santa Claus / Father Christmas. In the UK, US and Canada, “Santa Claus” or “Father Christmas” is believed to travel around the world sporting a red suit on his sleigh, pulled by reindeer.
Santa Claus is referred to as "Father Christmas."
While some do refer to old Saint Nick as Santa Claus in the UK, it is widely accepted that Father Christmas is his more traditionally British name.
"Naur" is "no" spelled in an Australian accent. More accurately, it's "no" spelled in what an Australian accent sounds like to Americans. "When you tell an Australian that there's an 'r' in the way we pronounce 'no' they're like 'Mmm… no, there's not,'" says Hume.
While it's common to celebrate Christmas Eve in Europe, in Australia, it's more accepted to gather on Christmas Day (25 December). Some members of the community might attend church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day – if you'd like to do this, there's bound to be a church near you that you can visit.
Some Australians hang wreaths on their front doors and some people will also go out Christmas carol singing on Christmas Eve. People also decorate their houses and gardens with Christmas Trees and Christmas lights. Neighbors sometimes have little competitions to see who has got the best light display.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
The well-known Australian Christmas song has Santa swapping his reindeers for 'white boomers' on his Australian run. Occasionally 'white' (albino) kangaroos do occur in nature, while 'boomers' is the slang term used to describe big, male kangaroos (and the Australian men's basketball team).
He will visit the Pacific Islands first and then onto New Zealand, leaving from the South Island. Santa will zig zag his way up and down Australia, making sure to visit every child's house before departing Australian airspace as he heads towards our northern neighbours.
Most Americans (67%) stopped expecting Santa to shimmy down their chimney by the time they entered seventh grade. Half (49%) of Americans say they stopped believing in Santa before the age of 10 – with a quarter (23%) reporting that they lost sight of him between the ages of seven (10%) and eight (13%).
Dr. Lamminen says that for typically developing children, the years between age 7 and 11 mark a big change in thinking. Younger children are more imaginative, but not very logical, making it easy to believe in Santa. By age 7, believing starts to become more difficult.
We asked over 1,000 MFM mums and discovered that the average age at which your little ones grow out of the Santa story is eight and a half. By the age of nine, 62% of children no longer believe and by ten, when they're in the last stages of primary school, more than 4 in 5 children know the truth.