Christmas in Oz

I have always found Christmas in Australia quite strange. For although traditionally December 25 is a religious day - over time it has become far more about the commercial and visual side of the season than originally intended. For Europeans - Christmas is associated with pine trees and snow and warm clothes and wintery scenes and Father Christmas wrapped up in his cold-weather gear. In Australia however, Christmas falls bang in the middle of summer. What's odd is that the visual side of the season - the winter trees, snow and Santa outfits remain. My relatives celebrate Xmas on the beach - with a turkey salad. It's far too hot to have a roast! Yet people dress in (warm) santa suits for grottos in shopping malls around the country - with fake snow sprayed around. How confusing.