Your Cart is Empty
5 Gifts and Traditions for an Authentic Aussie Christmas
In most people’s minds, Christmas Day evokes an image of scarlet scarves, mittens, mulled wine, and sitting by cosy open fires.
Christmas is that time of year when we don’t mind spending sluggish hours cooped up inside searching for that perfect gift for our favourite people.
Zoom in on the same calendar day and turn your compass to the southernmost continent. There’s nothing more unlike that image of Christmas than the usual Australian setting on the same day.
The picture-perfect Christmas card setting with quaint snow-clad houses is swapped for the remotest possible image.
A picnic scene with prawns and beer on the menu against the backdrop of the ocean blue. Ladies and gents, meet the Aussie Christmas.
But how do you meet such an idiosyncratic Christmas? With equally idiosyncratic, special, bespoke gifts.
Our in-house Santas curated a list of gifts that resonate with this magical time of year, the Australian way.
And we took this to a whole new level — linking the gift ideas to some of the most popular Aussie Christmas traditions.
Let’s dive right in.
5 Gift Ideas and Their Matching Aussie Christmas Traditions
Barbie on the Beach
The first settlers from the British Isles migrated to Australia in 1788. These people took Christmas to the new continent and made it their own.
Stuffed turkey dinners were replaced with beach barbecues. The blazing sun and 30°C temperatures were the perfect excuse to ‘whack it on the barbie’ (the way Aussies talk BBQ in the modern vernacular).
Having a beach day is the favourite Aussie Christmas tradition. Most people live within 50 kilometres of the coast, so it’s only natural to head for an outdoor beach party.
You can also call the Aussie Christmas dressing code slightly off-beat. You’ll see adults hitting the waves in a pair of bathers.
The 'traditional English' food is swapped for seafood to better fit the blistering summer days. Prawns are a favourite Aussie staple, with more and more people including them in their festive season menus each year.
Plate Set — Coastal Abode
Although not the most traditional, the story of Aussie Christmas is a happy and heartening one. Just because you don’t live in a cold climate doesn’t mean you can’t have a decent Christmas party.
Quite the opposite.
This genuinely Aussie plate set is ideal for those searching for the perfect beachy gift. The colourful cockatoos, kookaburras, and seashell patterns will put a smile on the face of your overseas VIPs.
If you’re sending inside Australia, you’ll have your people all ready and set for a relaxing day on the beach. All that’s left is to serve some freshly caught seafood and finish it off with some cold beer — but that’s the easy part.
The native Australian fauna makes this an Aussie present through and through.
Putting Up Christmas Decorations
A Christmas tree is the central place where families gather to sing Christmas songs and share in the joy of the festive time. Australians put their wreaths on display outside their front doors and even kick off small competitions where neighbours vote for the best light displays.
Who says all Christmas songs have to sing about snow? Along similar lines, your Christmas tree doesn’t need to feature traditional Christmas decor.
This varies across Australia, but coastal Christmas tree and wreath decorations are not quite what people are used to seeing.
Aussies who live by the beach will want their Christmas decor to match the rest of their coastal home. So, it’s not unusual to see a front door wreath in cool colours of the bluish spectrum or a coastal Christmas tree featuring seashell, starfish, or nautical decorations.
Aussie Xmas Bauble — Kookaburra 3D
Aussie Xmas Bauble – Kookaburra 3D
This Aussie Xmas Kookaburra Bauble is a gift you can’t go wrong with.
The worst that can happen is getting people showered in the familiar Aussie feeling each time they glance at their Christmas tree. Or (and this is more likely) the favourite Australian bird in a fleece Santa hat will create some authentic Australian Christmassey cheer.
The Aussie Version of Secret Santa
Being 'the first stop on Santa's run', Australia gets to unpack Christmas presents before everyone else in the world.
Truth be told, The East Cape in New Zealand gets to feel the first sun's rays of all the places in the world, but Cape Howe, Australia, is a close runner-up.
After all, someone has to distribute those gifts, and Secret Santa serves this purpose wonderfully. Drawing on the Scandinavian Julklapp, this Christmas tradition has caught on throughout Western cultures.
It keeps everyone on the edge of their seats as you never know what will come your way. And the fact that gift-givers stay undisclosed adds to the jolly spirit of anticipation.
Australians put a little twist on it with their new game variation of ‘Stealing Secret Santa’.
- You all know the conventional game — but Stealing Secret Santa puts focus on the critical moment of gift unwrapping.
- The person who’s next up can either go on unwrapping, or they can steal what’s previously been unwrapped.
Jolly Roo Santa Sack Gift Set
If you’re searching for an ultimate Australian gift, nothing can beat popular Aussie-made confectionery. Our fondest childhood memories rest in our favourite chocolate bars and chewy lollies.
That said, this Jolly Roo Santa Sack Gift Set is bound to rekindle that ecstatic joy — in every boy (or a boy at heart).
Mini Twisties, Violet Crumble, and Allens Snakes are coming in the red ribbon bundle pack brought to you by a native Australian kangaroo.
Exchanging Christmas Cards
Though many link Christmas card exchange to the pre-internet era, it's everything but long-forgotten. We were surprised to learn that this thoughtful tradition is very much alive and kicking.
'In a final salute to everything we love about Christmas, it’s heartening to note that despite the abundance of technology in our lives, 42% of Aussies will still send Christmas cards in the post, compared to just 24% who will send e-greetings!' Source: Business.pureprofile.com
The fact that there are Christmas card manners only go on to prove how deeply ingrained sending Christmas cards is in Western cultures.
Australian Xmas Card (Single) — Merry Christmas From All of Us
The analogue types can't wait to put a smile on people’s faces by sending greeting cards come Christmas time. Merry Christmas From All of Us — Australian Xmas Card captures the authentic Australian Christmas.
The company of cute koalas, kangaroos, and wombats all in the holiday spirit can make every Christmas merrier.
We make it easier to send your favourite cards to your favourite people. Buy international stamps at I Still Call Australia Home and save a trip to the post office.
Shop the Aussie Way: Get Gifts That Feel Like Home
What better way to celebrate Aussie Christmas than by exchanging authentic Australian-themed Christmas gifts?
Your overseas friends will appreciate the feeling of home. Your Australia-based friends will be happy to use them for their favourite Christmas activities. It’s a win-win situation.
A quintessential Aussie gift tells an Australian story, has a stamp of unique Aussie heritage and is Australia-made.
These aren’t easy to come by, so today must be your lucky day.
I Still Call Australia Home is the number one online gift hub collating hundreds of hand-picked Australian-made and Australian-designed gifts.
Each is bound to give you a taste of an authentic Australian experience.
Joy C. | Customer Review
So browse for more exciting Australian-themed gifts today. We’re confident you’ll find a great match for pretty much anyone you can think of.