Dreaming of a Cacti Christmas

People are often intrigued when they learn that seasons in the southern hemisphere, where I live, are opposite to North America and Europe.  

That’s especially prevalent at Christmastime. Although I’m confident almost everyone I know was taught in school about the effect of the Earth’s angle of rotation on the seasons, it still comes as a surprise to learn that some of us celebrate Christmas in high summer. 

For example, here in Cape Town, South Africa, where I live, the temperatures have been in the mid to upper 80s for the last several weeks. On a couple of days, it pushed into the 90s. So, when I get electronic Christmas cards from friends and colleagues with snowy pine forest themes, I must remind myself that for most of International Living’s readers, “baby, it’s cold outside.” 

The Southern Hemisphere is becoming increasingly popular with North Americans and Europeans looking for an alternative home. Despite its challenges South Africa continues to be popular with many Europeans. North Americans and Europeans have also discovered the joys of countries like Uruguay, on the same latitude as my home in Cape Town. Australia and New Zealand have long celebrated the Christmas holidays during their own high summer. 

So, what’s it like to celebrate Christmas in a climate more hospitable to a cactus than a fir tree? 

Other than the temperature, the biggest difference is probably the dramatically reduced commercialism of the season. Sure, Christmas music is playing in all the shops here in Cape Town… but it only started about two weeks ago. Back in the States, it used to start shortly after Halloween. Yes, there are sales and other inducements to spend money in the holiday season, but they are a small fraction of what you get in northern hemispheric countries. 

The other big difference is in tourism. In countries like mine, this is the time of year when we see the highest traffic from overseas visitors. Cape Town is full of Europeans—and some Americans and Canadians—who’ve come for the sun, surf, and safaris. That makes most of the city far too busy looking after those visitors to worry too much about commercializing Christmas. 

On that score, it’s rare that you’ll see anybody with overt Christmas decorations and lights. It’s just not part of the culture, at least here in South Africa. One reason is that houses with big open front yards are rare here, but it’s also because this is a multicultural and multireligious society, and people tend not to make a big public display of their private beliefs. 

Things are probably different in Australia and New Zealand, which are more homogeneous. But expats who live in increasingly popular places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand will know that Christmas is an event best celebrated in private. 

But here’s the key thing: if Christmas is important to you, you’ll celebrate it wherever you may be, in the way that you prefer.  

My wife, who was born in South Africa, learned to celebrate Christmas the American way during the decade we spent living there. She’s been the driving force behind our beautifully decorated Christmas tree, all the lovely nutcrackers and other decorations around the house, and the discrete string of Christmas lights we’ve strung up in the yard. She never did any of those things before we moved to the States, but it really appealed to her, and she’s brought that feeling with her back to the southern hemisphere. 

So, if your global wanderings should land you in a southern hemispheric country where Christmas isn’t quite the same big deal as it is up north, don’t worry; there’s plenty to celebrate… with the great advantage that it all comes from the heart, not from the temptations of the almighty dollar.