Christmas in Queensland

A Canadian’s Experience of a Summer Christmas

Our first Christmas in Queensland was celebrated around an artificial cherry tree.

It was 2020, and we’d just moved from Canada. We came out of hotel quarantine on 1 December and were still getting settled. Our furniture and Christmas decorations wouldn’t arrive until mid-February, so we were renting everything—the house, the furniture, even the dishes! All we had with us were the things we’d brought in our suitcases.

Between buying a car, a vacuum and presents for the kids, we also needed to find something to make the house feel Christmassy. By the time we went looking, every real and artificial Christmas tree we could find had sold out. So we bought a few decorations and an artificial cherry tree, and made do.

It was hot. Everything was unfamiliar. And honestly? It didn’t feel like Christmas.

Since then, we’ve found our own way of celebrating Christmas in Queensland. Some Canadian traditions have stayed, others have changed, and Christmas now involves considerably more time in the pool.

Christmas in Queensland Starts With Cinnamon Scrolls

One tradition I’ve kept from Canada is homemade cinnamon scrolls for Christmas breakfast. Back in Canada, we call them cinnamon rolls. Same breakfast treat, slightly different name! Whatever the weather is doing outside, those are staying.

Our main Christmas meal, though, has moved. In Canada, we had Christmas dinner. Here, we have Christmas lunch. When we’ve celebrated with Australian families, the main meal has been in the middle of the day, followed by lawn games stretching into the evening.

That leaves plenty of afternoon for swimming, talking to family and, once it cools down, a walk.

What We Eat for Christmas in Queensland

When it’s this hot, I have very little interest in putting a whole turkey in the oven. We usually go for a barbecue and cold dishes instead. Some years we smoke a turkey breast outdoors.

We’ve sometimes struggled to find a whole turkey when we’ve looked, so turkey breast has become our version. Fresh or frozen cranberries have also proved elusive in our local shops. My cranberry sauce now comes ready-made in a little glass jar.

There’s usually a cheeseboard, homemade dips, crackers, pickles, olives, sliced vegetables—capsicum, carrots and celery—and chips, along with homemade pull-apart bread. If you’re reading from North America, capsicum is what you’d call bell pepper.

We also make two kinds of ambrosia: our Northern Hemisphere version and a Southern Hemisphere version. They share a name and marshmallows, but the bowls look quite different!

Dessert might be a berry cheesecake, pavlova or sometimes an apple crumble. There are homemade sugar cookies and white chocolate fudge for nibbling, and something a bit fancy to drink, with alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. The cheeseboard might come out as a starter and reappear later for anyone who still has room.

It’s a mixture of familiar favourites and things that suit the weather. We haven’t left our Canadian Christmas behind completely; we’ve made room for a different one.

Two Ambrosias, From Opposite Sides of the World

The ambrosia recipe we brought with us from Canada uses canned clementine segments, drained pineapple pieces, mini marshmallows, yoghurt and shredded coconut. That’s our familiar version.

Our Southern Hemisphere bowl is a New Zealand-style ambrosia—a little nod to our Kiwi neighbours!

For that one, we slice up pink and white marshmallows and combine them with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Sometimes we add Greek yoghurt as well, which helps cut through the sweetness. Boysenberries are another option people use in place of strawberries.

If you’re following along from North America, the cream starts as heavy whipping cream, which we whip before folding everything together.

Even the marshmallows are different. The pink and white ones we buy here have a different size and flavour from the North American ones I grew up with. Perhaps they’re a little less sweet? I’ve never quite worked out how to describe it, but I notice the difference.

Some versions have grated chocolate on top. Ours doesn’t—it’s sweet enough already.

We like both ambrosias, so rather than choosing one, we make room for two.

Pavlova: A New Addition to Our Christmas Table

Pavlova wasn’t part of our Christmas celebrations in Canada, but it’s become a welcome addition to Christmas in Queensland.

If you haven’t come across one, a pavlova has a meringue base that’s crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, topped with whipped cream and fruit. Fresh berries are a lovely topping, and that’s part of what makes it feel so different from the Christmas desserts I grew up with.

December isn’t fresh berry season back in Canada. A berry-covered pavlova could certainly be made there, but it wasn’t a natural part of our winter Christmas table.

Here, Christmas falls in summer, and a dessert topped with fresh fruit makes much more sense to me. Alongside the cinnamon rolls and sugar cookies, it’s one of the ways our Christmas menu now reflects both places.

Do We Spend Christmas Day at the Beach?

Usually, no!

Lots of people do, but we tend to find it too hot and too busy. Parking at popular beaches can be extremely difficult on Christmas Day, and spending part of the morning searching for a space isn’t how I want to celebrate.

If your idea of a tropical Christmas involves a day on the sand, you certainly won’t be alone! But I’d aim for early morning or later in the day to avoid the midday heat. The sand can get too hot to walk on barefoot—something I never would have imagined growing up in Canada! Bring footwear for the walk down to the water, and remember that even around sunrise or sunset, some beaches can still be busy.

For us, being in and out of the pool at home is usually more appealing.Christmas in the Pool—and Sometimes in the Air Conditioning

We eat outdoors most years, but the weather gets the final say. One Christmas it was nearly 40°C—around 104°F—and far too hot for that. We had the air conditioning going inside.

That’s worth remembering if your picture of an Australian Christmas is a beautifully set table outdoors. Sometimes it looks like that. Sometimes everyone wants to be somewhere cool.

Later in the day, once the heat eases, we like to head out for a bushwalk. One Christmas, that took us up Mount Ngungun for sunset over the Glass House Mountains.

Calling Canada From a Queensland Christmas

The biggest thing missing from Christmas here is our extended family. We miss having parents, siblings and cousins around us. Some years our eldest son flies up from Sydney, which means we can have all our boys together.

Throughout the day, we FaceTime family back in Canada. They’re indoors, wrapped up against the cold, and will often show us the snow outside. We might have just been swimming or be sitting outdoors with our Christmas lunch.

Even after living here for years, seeing those two versions of Christmas on the same screen is quite something.

Boxing Day: Leftovers, Cricket and a Sunset Beach Visit

Boxing Day is 26 December, the day after Christmas. For us, it’s a lovely excuse to slow down, bring out the leftovers and watch the cricket.

Cold ham and turkey sandwiches are familiar Boxing Day fare, depending on what was served the day before. In our house, there’s usually plenty left to graze on without preparing another big meal.

The Boxing Day Test is a HUGE deal here. It’s an international cricket match beginning on 26 December at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, usually shortened to the MCG. We watch it on television from Queensland. If you’re unfamiliar with Test cricket, a match can last up to five days—this is something you can settle into!

Watching cricket is a great way to spend the day after Christmas, particularly when it’s hot outside and there are leftovers in the fridge.

Lots of people head to the beach, too. We’ll happily leave the midday visit to others and go around sunset instead. It’s just too hot for these Canadians!

Christmas Is Part of the Long Summer Holidays

Christmas in Queensland falls during the long summer school holidays, which helps explain why the holiday feeling lasts well beyond Christmas Day.

Queensland school children generally have around six weeks off over December and January. Christmas doesn’t mark a short winter break before returning to the same school year. It falls between school years, with the new one beginning in late January. There’s plenty of time to play with those new Christmas toys!

That helps explain the atmosphere here. It isn’t only Christmas that people are celebrating. Families are taking holidays, children are out of school, and many adults take time off work as well.

On the Sunshine Coast, I find that holiday feeling lingers well into January, around Australia Day on 26 January and the return to school. Everyday routines gradually slot back into place.

That doesn’t mean everything closes for a month. Shops, cafés and restaurants continue welcoming customers through the holiday season, although individual businesses may close on public holidays or change their hours.

Some smaller businesses take a longer break. We’ve found it’s worth planning ahead for things like dog grooming, hair appointments or pest control rather than assuming our usual person will be available between Christmas and New Year.

If you’re visiting, remember that your Christmas trip also coincides with the Australian summer holiday season. Check individual opening hours, book the things that matter to you, and expect to share popular spots with plenty of other holidaymakers.

Spending Christmas on the Sunshine Coast?

Slowly, year by year, we’ve grown used to Christmas in Queensland- the heat, the swimming and the very different rhythm of the day. It still feels a little strange sometimes, and we miss having our extended family around us. But cinnamon rolls, calls to Canada and an afternoon in the pool have become our own version of Christmas. I’ll always have lovely memories of our Canadian celebrations, but I’ve happily traded the cold for sunshine. A warm Christmas now feels right for us.

If you’re coming to experience a summer Christmas for yourself, my Sunshine Coast beaches guide can help you choose somewhere to spend time by the water. For a change of scenery, explore the Glass House Mountains or plan a wander through Maleny. Leave a little room between outings, too—for leftovers, a swim and whatever the day brings.

Christmas tree in Caloundra- love the nearby palms. Very tropical feeling!

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