It’s Poetry Friday and it’s only 2 weeks till Christmas, so to celebrate I thought I’d share an Australian Christmas poem I wrote several years ago.

When I was growing up, all the Christmas stories, songs and television shows focussed on cold, and snow. and hot meals. And every Christmas where I was it would be hot and sunny, and we would try to keep cool with cool drinks and swimming exepditions. It seems a huge contraditicon.  Luckily, in recent years Australian publishers and creators have worked to produce more Australian Christmas content, but still there’s lots of talk of snowmen and icicles and such.

So here’s my Aussie Christmas song:

We sing of jingle bells and snow,

of warm red suits and ho ho ho;

but none of this is quite the way

when it is Christmas here below.

Downunder in good old Aussieland

it’s time for sun and surf and sand.

It’s hot, not cold, it’s summertime

and summer treats are in demand.

Hard work for reindeer in this heat.

Hot roofs would burn their tender feet

and racing through the summer skies

would soon leave them feeling beat.

And as for Santa in fur and such:

he’d soon feel overdressed a touch.

Being snug and warm in blistering heat

isn’t likely to impress him much.

He also needs roos for the job

of sleigh-pulling – an Aussie mob

to get him moving all around

from Sydney town to Iron Knob.

His suit, too, needs an overthrow:

a new outfit, from head to toe.

Some boardies, a singlet and some thongs

would seem to be the way to go.

So let’s not sing of snow and ice,

instead I’ll give you this advice:

roos, utes and summer are the go

for Christmas songs that sound real nice.

So ripper, bonza, beudy, strewth!

Though you might think my song uncouth

it’s true blue and it’s ridgy didge

to sing a song that tells the truth.

(Poem copyright Sally Murphy)

Enjoy the countdown to Christmas – and enjoy more Poetry Friday goodness by visiting  A Teaching Life, where all the posts will be rounded up later today.