I can't get motivated about Christmas when the mercury is rising

[robinpud]

I think I am genetically programmed to only be able to cope with Christmas when it is cold. That way I can keep warm by doing all those Christmassy things.
Here in a hot country it all seems wrong.
Do you think my kids will accept empty stockings?
Should I go to the beach or go shopping?

go to the beach early morning and mid afternoon and shop in airconditioned comfort in between

perfect

NO your children will not accept empty stockings.

If it is any consolation - dh is coming up to his 4th christmas here and still says there is not something right about christmas in Summer. Where as I found it weird but fab having a white/cold christmas when in the UK and Japan.

I agree with your dh.. even though I have never really had a white xmas, it is the finale after the autumn colours, leaf fall, Bonfire night etc. I wonder how long it takes to readjust?
Don't you think that I couls tell them it's illegal to get presents in Fiji at xmas?!

I totally ignored Halloween for the same reason. I am not popular!

Halloween was never a think in Aus until very recently! It seems merchandisers are hoping it will take it but it did not here in Qld except for teenagers being tossers and vandalising things.

I have had to force myself to get sorted for xmas as LO is due at the end of Nov.

Have chosen most things and put them on layby for DH to pay for/collect.

Having only moved back to Oz in May there are still loads of thing we don't have like xmas decorations, lights tinsel etc which is going to up the budget a bit!

I have adopted the eidsvold approach of shopping when it is hot and enjoying the A/C shopping centres.

Can't wait to have a hot xmas tho', you get to go out and play with new presents without the risk of frostbite - we are getting DD a swingset!

superloopy - I have found the most fab decorations in places like The Wearhouse and The Reject Shop for reasonable money - I got the basics tinsel etc from Crazy Clarks - we brought some special ones we had in the UK with us and each year I buy one new one each for the dds - nice ones so when we finally get a decent tree - it will look fabbo! At the moment we have a small tabletop tree which is up out of dds reach - can see crawling dd3 pulling it over.

Super - i got all the kids presents during the toy sales mid year with the odd thing to pick up later.

I am doing the adults now - with some of those on layby as well.

Am making vanilla truffles for teachers/aides/therapists etc along with some little thing too. We have fab markets up the road from us and they do twilight markets throughout november etc on a Friday night so will take to popping up there as well to gradually buy presents.

Ok, I am a jewish catholic atheist and my religious history is pretty spotty....but isn't christmas a celebration of the birth of christ and wasn't jesus born in bethlehem and isn't bethlehem fairly warm at christmas time? And if that isn't good enough, can't you just enjoy the fact that you can probably go to the beach during the day AND then go shopping at night...something that would have been difficult to do in the uk.

I have been today to look for stocking fillers etc as it is raining. I've just been looking on the elc and John Lewis sites for stuff that can be delivered to my nephews and neices in the UK rather than us carry it home!