🔗 Share this article Some Like It Hot: Why Cold Christmases Are a Feeble Imitation to Celebrating in Summer. If we have learned anything from the deluge of holiday movies, mass-produced decorations, and festively themed songs, it's that the cultural zeitgeist has decreed Christmas is a holiday best served cold. So they say! The powers that be residing above the equator may have sold this idea globally, but that's only because they are without the innate knowledge we southern hemisphere folk possess: a warm Christmas is simply the better way. This season is stressful enough – irrespective of temperature – but at least we don't have to battle seasonal depression on top of it all. Frosty Formative Years And this isn't just hot air. I spent my formative years experiencing cold festive seasons. Despite my family originating in New Zealand, my father's career meant inevitable international moves. My younger years were spent in the UK and the US, meaning every December brought early nightfall and a biting chill on my cheeks. The sole silver lining? The style options; layering is effortlessly chic. In fairness, a cold Christmas has its charms. It's traditional, classic, and the possibility of snow is truly enchanting. The cosy charm of a chilly celebration is hard to disregard. Yet, with my extended family on the other side of the world, I always felt I was missing out an true celebration that not even the richest hot chocolate could make up for. The Southern Shift Everything changed when another move brought my family to Australia. There, I finally experienced a proper festive family affair, joined by extended relatives for the first time. With a larger group to entertain, my father got experimental in the kitchen, concocting a potent vodka jelly that was famously strong. We all slept well that night. This became our routine for years – celebrating together with family and friends, complete with playful battles across the table. That was, until my parents answered the call of a new job and moved to a notoriously chilly part of northern England. A Revelation in Reverse Visiting them for Christmas after a long absence, I expected a wave of nostalgic longing. Instead, I found myself yearning for everything that made a summer Christmas unique. Sipping sangria in the sun. Noshing on piles of fresh fruit. Loved ones being just a phone call away. Vibrant sunsets stretched across the sky. In that moment, I was a hot-Christmas convert. "The warmth eased the grief in monumental ways." This feeling was cemented after my father passed away. My mother decided to return home to New Zealand. The first Christmas without him was incredibly tough, his absence felt everywhere. Yet, being once more surrounded by family under the gentle heat of the summer sun alleviated the grief in monumental ways. A Self-Proclaimed Hypocrite All this said, I must confess to being a massive hypocrite. This year, I'll be celebrating during winter in South Korea, and I'm genuinely excited to wander around Seoul in my warmest jacket, hoping for a glimpse of snow. The cold Christmas propaganda still has a little hold on me! Still, I'm eager to return home for another New Year's Day under the Australian summer sun. Knowing my family – including a newborn nephew – will be close by as we enter the new year fills me with a happiness my younger self always craved. Not even the fluffiest snow can hold a candle to that feeling.
If we have learned anything from the deluge of holiday movies, mass-produced decorations, and festively themed songs, it's that the cultural zeitgeist has decreed Christmas is a holiday best served cold. So they say! The powers that be residing above the equator may have sold this idea globally, but that's only because they are without the innate knowledge we southern hemisphere folk possess: a warm Christmas is simply the better way. This season is stressful enough – irrespective of temperature – but at least we don't have to battle seasonal depression on top of it all. Frosty Formative Years And this isn't just hot air. I spent my formative years experiencing cold festive seasons. Despite my family originating in New Zealand, my father's career meant inevitable international moves. My younger years were spent in the UK and the US, meaning every December brought early nightfall and a biting chill on my cheeks. The sole silver lining? The style options; layering is effortlessly chic. In fairness, a cold Christmas has its charms. It's traditional, classic, and the possibility of snow is truly enchanting. The cosy charm of a chilly celebration is hard to disregard. Yet, with my extended family on the other side of the world, I always felt I was missing out an true celebration that not even the richest hot chocolate could make up for. The Southern Shift Everything changed when another move brought my family to Australia. There, I finally experienced a proper festive family affair, joined by extended relatives for the first time. With a larger group to entertain, my father got experimental in the kitchen, concocting a potent vodka jelly that was famously strong. We all slept well that night. This became our routine for years – celebrating together with family and friends, complete with playful battles across the table. That was, until my parents answered the call of a new job and moved to a notoriously chilly part of northern England. A Revelation in Reverse Visiting them for Christmas after a long absence, I expected a wave of nostalgic longing. Instead, I found myself yearning for everything that made a summer Christmas unique. Sipping sangria in the sun. Noshing on piles of fresh fruit. Loved ones being just a phone call away. Vibrant sunsets stretched across the sky. In that moment, I was a hot-Christmas convert. "The warmth eased the grief in monumental ways." This feeling was cemented after my father passed away. My mother decided to return home to New Zealand. The first Christmas without him was incredibly tough, his absence felt everywhere. Yet, being once more surrounded by family under the gentle heat of the summer sun alleviated the grief in monumental ways. A Self-Proclaimed Hypocrite All this said, I must confess to being a massive hypocrite. This year, I'll be celebrating during winter in South Korea, and I'm genuinely excited to wander around Seoul in my warmest jacket, hoping for a glimpse of snow. The cold Christmas propaganda still has a little hold on me! Still, I'm eager to return home for another New Year's Day under the Australian summer sun. Knowing my family – including a newborn nephew – will be close by as we enter the new year fills me with a happiness my younger self always craved. Not even the fluffiest snow can hold a candle to that feeling.