Holidays minus Thanksgiving

I've kind of wondered how Australians know that it's time to start up the whole Christmas thing when they don't have Thanksgiving. Turkey Day is a useful holiday because it says "Yep, Christmas is coming and you better get a move on".

For those of us who still like Christmas (an ever-shrinking group), Thanksgiving is the offical date after which we can start putting up Christmas decorations and buying presents. So, if there's no Thanksgiving, how do you know when to start?

Well, I've just discovered it's at the start of November. I decided to pick up a few early gifts at a major store today, and was nearly mauled by "happy" shoppers. The Aussie's have picked up our bad habit of fighting for those early sales.

It's very surreal to go shopping when its 90 degrees, buying wrapping paper with Frosty the Snowman on it, and hearing a mangled version of White Christmas over the shop's p.a. system.

Here's an Australian version of Jingle Bells that you might like:
(listen to it here)

Dashing through the bush,
in a rusty Holden Ute,
Kicking up the dust,
esky in the boot,
Kelpie by my side,
singing Christmas songs,
It's Summer time and I am in
my singlet, shorts and thongs

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia
on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.