Some Australian traditions were brought there by Irish and English immigrants back when the country was a penal colony. How Stuff Works explained many households light a candle in the front of the house to help light the way for Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Families across the country then gather for a meal, often including the traditional English roast ham or turkey, another influence from the olden days.

This being Australia, no one will pass up the chance to go to the beach. People flock to the beach in their Santa hats. It’s the perfect place to build a Santa Snowman and go surfing. And after a day at the beach, most Australians join their families for a Christmas lunch. Some people enjoy a barbecue for Christmas since it’s an excellent outdoor summer activity. Australian Christmas barbecue, though, features a lot more seafood than we’re used to. Medium noted Australians spend 10 times more on prawns during the Christmas season than at any other time, consuming more than 45,000 tons of shellfish.

The festive fun continues until December 26th. Australia celebrates Boxing Day, where people often leave gifts for their postman, grocer, newspaper carriers, and other service workers. Boxing Day is also one of the country’s largest retail days, equivalent to Black Friday in the United States. Sports fans can also look forward to the annual cricket test match.

Celebrating Christmas when it’s plenty warm seems weird to many, but Australia has made the best of it. The beach sounds like a wonderful place to exchange gifts.