hot weather holidays

[zech13_9_goforgold]

My sister-in-law's family and mine are living in a very hot country (southern hemisphere, desert) and are already discussing how to make Christmas special for the kids. We can't buy a tree and there really won't be snow or anything like that. It will be too hot to cook (about 110 F), but we'll still do some baking. So, I want to know what traditions we can start to make it fun for the kids and good for the adults too.

Anything you have to offer would be great.

[ollyoxenfree]

Here's a list of summer Christmas ideas . I hope there is some inspiration for you.

When we've celebrated a warm weather Christmas, we've been away from extended family. One thing we've done is go to a hotel for our big turkey Christmas dinner, so we could enjoy the tradition without sweltering. Then for our at-home celebration, we've enjoyed seafood and salads and BBQ instead. Christmas celebrations have included huge community outdoor carol services where everyone picnics and enjoys a lovely summer evening. Are there local outdoor productions of Christmas favourites like A Christmas Carol?

I wouldn't try to replicate a Northern Hemisphere Christmas. Many decorations look out-of-place and odd or downright tawdry.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your celebrations.

[pear-shaped]

I live in a country where Christmas trees aren't really traditional...a lot of families do them now, but the more traditional decoration is the creche (called presepe or presepio here.) They can be really extensive, incorporating lots of little buildings and figurines. My dh has told me that when he was a child, they had a presepe that occupied half a room! He and his siblings used to help his dad set it up, and it was a really cherished family tradition. It started out small and they built it up over the years, adding new elements each Christmas. I don't know how difficult it would be to do something like that in another country- here it's easy because there are shops that sell supplies specifically for making them. But it might not be too hard to expand on one of the smaller ones that are easy to find elsewhere if you're good at crafts or handy.

[zebra15]

I would ask around and see what others are doing. Are you in an area with others from N.america and just temp. transplanted? Is this the 1st year you are there? See if there are other folks in the same situation you are in and find out how they cope

[azjen43]

When we were in South America for Christmas, the extended family rented a beach cottage for the week. On Chritstmas eve, we had a barbeque, (My MIL went to mass, but the rest of us just hung out) the kids all ran around with sparklers and at midnight all the families in the area set off fireworks on the beach. My FIL and the dads all took the kids down to the beach while the womenfolk set out a few presents for the kids from Papa Noel. When they returned from the fireworks, the kids opened presents, ate treats and stayed up until dawn. Xmas day was just a lazy, sleep in day. (The tradition in Uruguay, where my husband is from, is that xmas is a minor holiday. The big one is Reyes magos, three king's day.)

[zech13_9_goforgold]

Thank you. It's really comforting to hear that other families have done this. What kinds of treats do you make? I was thinking about making home-made ice cream toppings. Has anyone made their own cones?

What about gifts? Do you do with "Christmas-y" things or summer-y things?

What about the month before Christmas to help kids get excited? Advent calendar type things. I know that last year this forum had a list of advent-calendar activities that families did to lead up to Christmas. Any ideas there?