Celebrate a sunny Christmas in Australia.

Due to its unique geographical location in the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas in Australia falls in the middle of summer, with temperatures sometimes reaching 30-40 degrees Celsius. It's one of the biggest holidays of the year in Australia, lasting from the night of December 24th to January 1st. Some workplaces even give employees a full two weeks off. Australians use this time to relax, travel, and of course, enjoy shopping.

Whether you're Christian or not, Christmas is a joyous occasion, as numerous brands and department stores in Australia offer significant discounts throughout the holiday, culminating on Boxing Day, December 26th. This is also one of the biggest shopping sprees of the year in Australia, following the end-of-June (end-of-financial year) shopping season. Locals eagerly line up to buy goods from popular brands like Zara, Topshop, Timberland, etc., sometimes at half the usual price.

In particular, at Myer department store in Melbourne and David Jones department store in Sydney, as has been the tradition since 1956, the large windows of both stores are adorned with elaborate and eye-catching displays depicting Christmas-related stories such as A Christmas Carol, The 12 Days of Christmas, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In recent years, instead of simply imitating traditional cold-climate Christmas imagery like pine trees, snow, and reindeer, these two department stores have begun incorporating local elements such as the blue sea, golden sunshine, and tropical forests. Families with young children lining up to view the window displays at Myer are a unique and wonderfully heartwarming sight.

Recently, instead of simply imitating traditional Christmas imagery from colder climates like pine trees, snow, and reindeer, two famous shopping malls in Melbourne and Sydney have begun incorporating local elements such as blue seas, golden sunshine, and tropical forests.

In addition, key locations in Melbourne such as Federation Square, City Hall, and Flinders Station will simultaneously project light displays each night, resembling giant gift boxes. Each Melbourne administrative area, including Fitzroy, Carlton, and Footscray, will also hold carol concerts in their parks, called Carols by Candlelights. Everyone is welcome to attend, and each attendee brings a small candle to light up the concert.

Restaurants and shops will all close for Christmas, so if people want to eat out, they'll flock to Chinatown for dim sum. Chinatown is also the only place that's always open, regardless of whether it's the Western or Chinese New Year!

Parks and beaches are packed with families picnicking and having barbecues – as Australians call them. Prawns, lobsters, and other freshwater shrimp are popular Christmas treats in Australia. The Sydney Fish Market, in particular, sells over 120 tonnes of prawns and 70,000 oysters in just 36 hours each year. Fruits like mangoes and cherries are also in season and are often bought chilled for dessert.

However, as the saying goes, "Wealth breeds etiquette," and in Australia, it's quite amusing that the simple greeting "Merry Christmas!" can offend some people. With a huge influx of immigrants from diverse cultures, not all ethnic groups in Australia celebrate Christmas, especially Muslims, Orthodox Christians, or Jews, who have their own holidays around the same time. For me, the specific holiday doesn't matter; as long as I get time off work and can buy things on sale, that's something to be grateful for!

Additional information:

- Weather: December temperatures in Melbourne range from 14-24°C, while in Sydney they fluctuate between 18-25°C. This is a great time to stroll along the beaches around Sydney, as the sea water warms due to the influence of the warm ocean current.

- Travel: Vietnam Airlines currently offers direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne or Sydney, making travel to Australia easier. When flying back from Australia, you should arrive at the airport early to register for a GST refund (if your total purchase amount is 300 AUD or more from a store in Australia).

- Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai food are very popular in the two major cities of Melbourne and Sydney, so you don't have to worry about not finding something to your liking. If you like fresh oysters and salmon, you can go to South Melbourne Market (take bus 96 from Southern Cross Station towards St Kilda Beach) or Sydney Fish Market.

- Shopping: Chadstone Shopping Centre (Melbourne) is the largest shopping centre in Australia, the size of 10 football fields, and features a wide range of major and minor fashion brands. From downtown Melbourne, you can go to Federation Square to catch a free shuttle bus to Chadstone. Chapel Street Bazaar (Melbourne) is also a very interesting place with antiques, collectibles, and more, located right on Chapel Street - one of Melbourne's busiest shopping streets.

Text and photos: Dang Trinh

The Thanh