Forget snowflakes and sleigh rides. In Australia, Christmas comes with sunshine, sandy beaches, and cricket games by the waves! Join Sergio the Accent Explorer™, Mimsy the mockingbird, and their friend Jack as they unwrap the sounds and traditions of an Aussie Christmas. From singing carols by candlelight to popping Bon Bons with paper crowns, and even discovering Boxing Day, this holiday adventure shows how Christmas can sparkle in a totally different way. 🤶
Forget snowflakes and sleigh rides. In Australia, Christmas comes with sunshine, sandy beaches, and cricket games by the waves! Join Sergio the Accent Explorer™, Mimsy the mockingbird, and their friend Jack as they unwrap the sounds and traditions of an Aussie Christmas. From singing carols by candlelight to popping Bon Bons with paper crowns, and even discovering Boxing Day, this holiday adventure shows how Christmas can sparkle in a totally different way. 🤶
SERGIO: Hi There. I’m Sergio, The Accent Explorer. Thanks for joining me on another adventure in sounds and stories. And this is my fluffy friend,Mimsy the Mockingbird. She has a brand new hello just for you! Go ahead, Mimsy!
MIMSY: Howdy y’all!
SERGIO. Hahah. Hear that, Explorer? That’s a big Southern hello … kind of like how Ms. Sallie from North Carolina might greet us, if she was from Texas. Want to try it with us? Ready? “Howdy Y’all!” [BEAT] Great job! Okay, Mimsy, I have a question for you. What’s your absolute most favorite holiday ever?
MIMSY: My birthday!
SERGIO: Haha ok , MImsy. Do you know what mine is?
MIMSY: Is it also my birthday?
SERGIO: [CHUCKLES] I do love your birthday, MImsy, but my favorite holiday of the whole year is Christmas Day! It’s full of magical sounds and sights from morning til night.
Speaking of Christmas, we actually received a letter from one of our listeners this week. Her name is Abby, and this is what she said. [CLEARS THROAT] “Dear Sergio and little Mimsy. Thank you for teaching me so much about Australia. I have loved learning about cricket, tasting vegemite, and hearing the didgeridoo that makes that deeeeeep humming sound. But I really HAVE to know— what is Christmas like in Australia? Do kids celebrate the same way we do here in the United States?”
That’s a great question, Abby. Learning about how people celebrate their holidays can tell us so much…. about them as families, and about their traditions. For example, in Egypt, kids celebrate a holiday called Eid! It usually happens close to the time we’re getting ready for Christmas, but it looks totally different. On Eid, people put on brand-new clothes and head to a big festival at the mosque where everyone is singing, smiling, and celebrating together.
Afterwards, families might have a picnic underneath the sun with sweet cookies and cool drinks. And sometimes, they take a ride on a felucca (a big sailboat that guides along the Nile River). Picture it, Explorer: white sails flapping in the wind, the river sparkling in the sunlight, and golden hot desert sands stretching out on both sides. What a celebration!
And in Mexico, families celebrate a holiday called Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). Instead of Christmas trees, there are bright orange flowers, glowing candles, and colorful sugar skulls. It’s a time to remember and honor fam ily who have passed away, with music, food, and stories that make the streets feel alive with love. And speaking of holidays this is the perfect opportunity to ask our friend Jack about Christmas in Australia. What do you say, MImsy?
MIMSY: That sounds jolly good!
SERGIO: Okay. Let’s see if Jack’s home.
[KNOCK KNOCK]
MIMSY: [SINGING] Oh Jack!! We’re heeeere!
[DOOR OPENS]
JACK: Sergio! MImsy! Is that you? What a nice surprise!
SERGIO: Hi Jack! We were hoping you could help us. Our friend Abby sent us a letter with a big question…she wants to know what Christmas is like in Australia. Would you be able to tell us all about it?
JACK: I’d love to! Come on in! Make yourselves comfortable on my comfy recliner couches!
MIMSY: Thanks, Jack. Ooooh cozy!
JACK: So…what do you want to know first?
SERGIO: Well, we know that Christmas in the United States is a big deal. We hear the angelic voices of carollers in the frosty air on Christmas Eve, we bundle up in our warmest winter clothes, and kids run around laughing and screaming as snow crunches underneath their boots during winter break. Is it the same in Australia?
JACK: Not really, actually. Look, why don’t I just take you on a sound journey through a traditional Australian Christmas?
SERGIO: Please do!
[MUSIC STING]
JACK: Imagine waking up in a busy beach town. There’s shiny tinsel on the trees, Christmas lights on the houses, but not a single winter coat in sight. You see, December in Australia is not winter at all - it’s the middle of Summer. So while people in the United States are bundled up in coats and talking through brrrrrr chattering teeth, people in Australia are wearing shorts, t-shirts, or summer dresses. And Santa? He has been known to take off his big red coat there and just relax in his white undershirt!
Mimsy: Sweaty Santa!
JACK: Right you are, Mimsy. Now, the Christmas festivities usually begin on Christmas Eve when everyone gets together to watch something called Carols by Candlelight.
MIMSY: What’s that?
JACK: It’s a popular Christmas concert where famous Australians sing festive songs. Imagine you’re in a big park filled with people sitting on blankets. It’s night time and everyone is holding candles as high as they can into the sky. It looks like hundreds of beautiful lightning bugs have taken over the night. And then to really make it even more magical, some of the best singers in the universe lift their voices and sing beautiful Christmas Carols just for you.
MIMSY: My favourite Christmas Carol is Feliz Navidad!
JACK: That’s a great one! Now, the next morning, after you’ve opened your presents of course, you put on your swimsuit, a shirt, and a whole lot of sunscreen, and make your way over to the beach. And once you’re there, you see your cousins setting up a cricket set right on the sand. So you all join in (batting and bowling) and even the Uncles are playing along). Everyone is having a great time, laughing and making plans for the rest of the summer, because in Australia, the Christmas break lasts more than six whole weeks!
MIMSY: Christmas AND A Summer Break all in one? Yes please!
JACK: After all that beach cricket and boogie boarding the big waves, you’re worn out and hungry. So you change into a nicer pair of shorts and a shirt, and head over to Grandma’s for Christmas lunch. Before the food is even served, you notice something curious sitting on every small plate. It’s a colorful little Christmas game called the Christmas Cracker, or Bon Bon.
SERGIO: I’ve heard about Bon Bons. They’re popular in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada and South Africa. But what exactly are they?
JACK: Well, the middle of the Bon Bon is the shape of a toilet roll, and on each end is a grip to hold it. Now imagine this, your cousin snatches one from the plate and looks over at you. He grabs one end. You grab the other. You pull. Ready? PULL!…[SFX: CRACK!] The Bon Bon SNAPS apart.
MIMSY: Whoa! That made me jump!
JACK: Sorry, Mimsy. But, get this. The middle section of the bon-bon is still in your hands. You peek inside. There’s something in there. Something (pause) red. You pull it out, unfold it...it’s a paper crown. You plop it on your head and grin; because you’re the winner of the game! The winner of Christmas! For the rest of the day, everyone has to treat you like royalty!
SERGIO: Wow. Now that sounds like a Christmas fit for a KING or Queen.
JACK: That’s not all though, Sergio. The fun keeps going the very next day. It’s called Boxing Day…with cricket on the TV ALL day long, and giant sales in all of the stores that make the day feel like one HUGE treasure hunt.
SERGIO: Wow. Christmas in Australia sounds like so much fun, Jack. Cricket on the beach, exploding Bon Bons, and even another holiday the next day? Just WOW! Thanks for taking us through such an amazing holiday.
JACK: See? Even from Green Ridge, we can take a trip to Australia with our imaginations. Come back any time, and we’ll go exploring again.
[MUSIC ENDS]
SERGIO: Well there you have it, Abby. That’s what Christmas in Australia is like. Thank you so much for the question! And remember Explorer, if you have a question that you’d like to ask Mimsy and me, get your grown ups to reach out to me on Instagram @TheAccentExplorer, or by E-Mail. My E-Mail address is sergio@theaccentexplorer.com.
Before I leave you, you’re not going to want to miss next week’s adventure. We’re taking off on an airplane! If you’ve never flown before, it’s the fastest way to get from here to anywhere. And if we want to hear the accents of the whole world, guess what? We’re going to need a ticket. We’ll meet my good friend Luca who is a REAL PILOT! That means he flies huge airplanes all around the world! Pretty cool, huh? Luca’s going to tell us all about what we should expect when traveling overseas, and let us know all the awesome activities that we can do while we’re flying high over the ocean. He might even tell us some super cool pilot stories too! Buckle up, Explorer, this one’s going to be unforgettable! But until then…
MIMSY: Keep Exploring!