It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

...as the song goes. The only difference in the Southern Hemisphere is that you get all the usual "nordic" props and decorations, in addition to Christmas pudding, mince pies and other seasonal food intended for much colder climates. Some families seem to favour those traditional Anglo-Saxon favourites and go for the traditional turkey menu over the holidays, others acknowledge the summer and opt for the Aussie favourite: a barbecue by the beach and for dessert a pavlova with fresh cherries (in season around Christmas time).

I pity the santas sweating under their polyester costumes and beards in the summer heat. Here's some photographic evidence of Sydney and Melbourne gearing up to Christmas.

Big Christmas tree on Martin Place (in the rain - of which we had plenty earlier this week. It more or less rained incessantly from Tuesday morning to Saturday morning), Sydney's answer to Rockefeller Plaza in New York:

Christmas decoration in the Rocks, Sydney's oldest quarter:
One of many huge inflatable santas as part of Darling Harbour's Santa Fest (Nov. 26):
Melbourne's banners are almost the same green as the trees in their lush spring foliage:

Myer and David Jones are the two big department store chains that can be found in all major cities all over Australia. The are competing over who has got the better Christmas window display (and louder X-Mas muzak to accompany it). Myer's on Melbourne's Bourke Street:

David Jones on Sydney's Market Street:

I was curious to see what "Santa's Cave" on the 6th floor looked like, expecting this to be more or less DJ's Christmas department, but it turned out to be an attraction hidden away in a separate room (or cave) you had to queue up for that was obviously aimed towards children and hence aptly placed next to the toys department. Needless to say, I did not join the line, lacking the obvious "accessory" to gain entry to Santa's cave: a child.

PS: I ticked off another Australian "must" off my shopping list at DJ's yesterday: a pretty underwear set by Elle Macpherson intimates. As the name implies, it is a rather intimate purchase, hence no photo...