Some Christmas Observations from Down Under

The big day is approaching and you know, it really isn't beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Yes, there are plenty of clues that the day is approaching. For example, one store advertised on TV that it is staying open extra-late all this week -- to the ungodly hour of 7 PM. Yes, that's LATE for an Australian store.

The malls and department stores have plenty of Christmas decorations -- but much less than we put up in the States. Same with the streets -- I've seen some outside decorations in Canberra, but nothing like Arlington or Dayton or New York.

On the other hand, the PEOPLE show real signs of being ready for Christmas. All the restaurants are packed at lunchtime with people out for office parties, and many of the people, especially the women, wearing various absurd Santa hats or fake reindeer ears or other cranial decorations.

And speaking of celebrations, my office had one last Friday at a nice Italian restaurant in downtown Canberra. I was parked in the pay lot near the restaurant (very little free parking in central Canberra) and went out once to re-up my stay, but ultimately didn't get out to the car till half an hour after my permit had expired. I groaned because I saw a parking lot attendant looking at my permit in the window, and I thought she was writing a ticket. So I walked up and politely said, "Ma'am, I'm right here, so you can just hand me the ticket instead of leaving it on the window." She said "Oh, I haven't written it yet" -- and ambled off WITHOUT giving me a ticket. An early Christmas present, I guess.

One other thing...

A little thing I just read in the paper today shows one difference between American and Australian Christmas traditions. In America, we put out milk and cookies for Santa's midnight snack. In Australia? A nice cold beer.