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A Summer Christmas in Australia
Our Family’s December Adventures
Christmas in Australia is unlike anywhere else in the world it falls right in the middle of summer! Instead of snow and heavy winter coats, Australians celebrate with sunny skies and light, breezy outfits, making the holiday season feel extra special every year.
Australians embrace the festive spirit with a relaxed, joyful vibe, and one of the most iconic traditions is decorating homes with Christmas lights. As the sun sets, ordinary neighborhoods transform into sparkling wonderlands, instantly bringing the holiday magic to life.
Last year, we spent Christmas in Korea, so our home remained quiet without a Christmas tree or festive decorations. That’s why this year, we were determined to make December fun and memorable. From dazzling Christmas lights to Elf on the Shelf, Advent calendars, and setting up our Christmas tree, our December is now filled with family traditions and holiday cheer in our own special way.
Christmas Lights Tour
When December arrives, the whole of Australia is filled with the festive spirit of Christmas.
One of the biggest differences from Korea is that Christmas here comes in the middle of summer, yet the excitement of waiting for the holiday can be felt everywhere, even in the scorching heat.
Shopping centers are filled with the sounds of Christmas carols, and streets gradually come alive with Christmas trees and decorations.
But perhaps the most uniquely Australian Christmas sight is the Christmas lights that adorn houses across neighborhoods, creating a magical, twinkling atmosphere after dark.
✨ Australian Christmas Lights Culture
Every December, many households across Australia go all out, decorating the exterior of their homes with Christmas lights.
It’s not just a few strings of bulbs, some homes light up their gardens, roofs, fences, and garages in a spectacular display.
Santa, Rudolph, and snowman figures
Palm trees wrapped in sparkling LED lights
Light shows synchronized to music
Character decorations for children
Homes with kids often go the extra mile, making entire neighborhoods feel like mini Christmas festivals.
Walking or driving through these streets, it’s easy to feel the magic of the season everywhere.
🚗 Christmas Lights Tour, A Unique Year-End Tradition
As Christmas approaches, one of Australia’s year-end traditions is for families to hop in the car and tour neighborhoods known for their Christmas lights.
Take a light evening drive after dinner
Walk around with the kids while admiring the decorations
Find the best spots for taking photos
There are also websites where you can find addresses of homes famous for their Christmas light displays, making it easier to plan your tour and enjoy the most dazzling decorations.
Find Christmas Lights Addresses Here
In addition, local community groups and social media are full of useful information, such as lists of homes that are decorated beautifully this year or streets that are great for families with kids.
This year, Liam has grown a lot, and he finally understands what Christmas lights are.
Going to see them together made the experience even more meaningful.
Elf on the Shelf
After Liam started school, it really hit me how much he has grown.
Unlike before, he now clearly understands Christmas and shows so much excitement and anticipation.
This year, I wanted to make the holiday season a little more fun and special for him.
While searching for Christmas ideas, I came across Elf on the Shelf, a fun holiday tradition!
Having been born and raised in Korea, I’m still learning about and embracing different cultures.
I had already adapted to celebrating Christmas in Australia, but Elf on the Shelf, which started in the United States, was a completely new Christmas tradition for us.
It’s a tradition that kids absolutely love and brings so much joy to the season.
🎄 What is Elf on the Shelf?
Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition that started in the United States.
The story goes that a small elf sent by Santa stays in the house until Christmas, observing the children’s daily activities and reporting back to Santa each night.
Every morning, the elf appears in a different spot from the day before, and children start their day by finding it.
This simple concept creates a magical Christmas experience for kids.
Liam and I enjoyed reading about it together from the book throughout December.
💸 Starting Realistically
Elf on the Shelf is usually sold as a traditional set with a book and an elf doll, but when we looked into buying one, the price was higher than expected.
So we made a practical choice:
We managed to get the book second-hand
We bought an elf doll separately that looked as similar as possible
We chose a “flexible elf,” but in practice, its legs didn’t bend very well, so our elf always had to stand upright… 😅 Even though the elf wasn’t perfect, Liam would start each morning by looking for it, and that small excitement made December feel much more special.
We could have staged the elf in creative scenes, but that would have required quite a bit of planning and time, so we mostly just moved its location each day. On the elf’s last day, we staged a little scene where the elf was “playing” on top of the presents, since Liam kept trying to open them.
Even without elaborate setups, Liam was thrilled every morning just knowing that the elf had been watching and reporting to Santa.
A New Christmas Tradition Discovered in Australia
Having been born and raised in Korea, Elf on the Shelf was quite a new and unfamiliar Christmas tradition for me.
By the time I moved to Australia, I had already gotten used to summer Christmases, Christmas lights, and even BBQs during the holiday season, but Elf on the Shelf introduced a whole new world.
However, seeing Liam’s reaction, I quickly understood why this tradition has been loved for so long.
It transforms Christmas from a single-day event into a month-long experience of anticipation and joy throughout December.
Christmas Advent Calendar
The Joy of Counting Down Each Day
Alongside Elf on the Shelf, another tradition that made December extra special for our family was the Christmas Advent Calendar!
Advent calendars are a traditional way to count down the days from December 1st to Christmas, with each day revealing a new little surprise. Some calendars have small chocolates, while others include toys or festive notes.
Since this was our first Christmas celebrating meaningfully with Liam, we decided to go with the classic chocolate calendar.
It was perfect for Liam, who wanted chocolate every day, but in hot Brisbane, we had to keep the chocolates in the fridge, so grabbing one each morning wasn’t always the easiest task. 😅
📆 Counting Down to Christmas
For 5-year-old Liam, Christmas is still “a day that will come someday.”
The Advent Calendar, which lets him see the dates and open a small compartment each day, became a wonderful tool to help him understand the concept of Christmas.
Every evening after dinner, he asks, “Which one should I open today?” and then opens a little door while counting aloud, “How many days until Christmas now?”
These short moments gradually became a small daily ritual.
💛 Practicing the Joy of Waiting
The best thing about an Advent Calendar is that it makes waiting enjoyable.
With the rule that you can only open one compartment per day, kids naturally learn patience and anticipation.
In fact, the moments of waiting may become even more memorable than the gifts themselves.
🎄 Christmas Tree Setup
When December arrived, we pulled the Christmas tree out of the storage.
I had imagined decorating the tree together with Liam, but reality turned out a little differently. 😅
Contrary to my expectations, I ended up doing the entire tree setup by myself, while Liam just watched for a short while before wandering off.
Still, once the tree was fully decorated and the lights were turned on, the atmosphere in the house instantly became festive.
As soon as the lights were on, Liam said, “Let’s take a photo of the three of us!”
And that’s how we captured our 2025 family Christmas photo in front of the tree.
✈️ Christmas Morning: Heading to the Airport
This year, Christmas was a bit special. We had an early morning flight to Korea on Christmas Day.
Our flight was at 8:30 a.m., so we had to leave home at 5:00 a.m. Even so, we didn’t want to skip our Christmas gift tradition.
🎅 Christmas Eve: Waiting for Santa
On Christmas Eve, Liam wrote a letter to Santa before going to bed.
We carefully prepared everything Santa might need:
Carrots
Cookies
Water
The next morning, we left traces as if Santa had eaten some of the treats.
Liam genuinely believed Santa had visited, and his excitement made all the preparation worth it, even with the early wake-up.
🎁 Gifts: Slightly Different than Expected, But a Happy Morning
Liam had been talking about the toys he wanted all month, and Edi and I had already prepared gifts according to his wishes. However, at the last minute, he wrote a completely different toy on his letter to Santa, so his “final wish” didn’t come true exactly.
Still, opening the various gifts made for a joyful Christmas morning, and then we hurried off to the airport. Though it was a busy start to the day, our family Christmas memories were already made.
Christmas may last just one day, but the time and memories leading up to it stay with you.
From setting up the tree, waiting for Santa, to heading to the airport in the early morning air, 2025 Christmas became a special memory for our family.
