• Home
  • About The Swirl World
  • Meet The Contributors
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Privacy Policy

The Swirl World

Celebrating and Elevating Black Women - mind, body, soul and spirit!


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

We’re Spending Christmas In Australia With Mike!

December 23, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

big camera hides mans face

Um, virtually, that is.

Members of The Swirl World can’t be there in person, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a first-hand view of what Christmas is like in Australia.

In his last post for 2013, Mike answers the question: “What it’s like to spend Christmas in Australia?”

City of Perth Christmas Tree

City of Perth Christmas Tree

Ahh, Christmas, there’s nothing quite like it. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, yule log burning in the hearth, snowball fights and hearty roasted meals. A time for slogging through cold weather to reach loved ones, and snuggling up together before a warm fire; sleighs and reindeer, and all that wonderful nonsense.

Well put paid to those ideas because in the Southern Hemisphere it’s Summer time, so that means shorts, t-shirts, BBQ’s, beer and sports for Christmas!

PERTH BEACH BOYS

Beach boys: Paul O’Connell, Tommy Bowe and Jonathan Davies strut their stuff at City Beach in Perth. Picture: PA Photo [Source]

There was once a time when Australia felt closest to England, where we tried as hard as we could to emulate their Christmas traditions. So a goose for Christmas, chestnuts, a Yule log (if you were particularly crazy) and a hell of a lot of roast meals. Poor Mums across Australia would have been fainting in the kitchen from all of that heat!

Then as our cultural mix changed, so did our habits. We stopped putting on all the pomp and ceremony, dropped the heavy clobber (clothes) for more utility wear of shorts or jeans and short sleeve shirts, and started eating things more in tune with the season.

Santa still is around in the shopping centres for the kids, but wearing a more loose-fitting lighter red suit. The beard and the hat stays though, so I am sure they’re glad that they’re inside in air-conditioned stores while they work.

Baby, It’s Hot Outside!

This year’s Christmas Day in Perth is going to be 30ºC (86ºF), so you can appreciate why we don’t get as formally dressed up. One year it was 44ºC  (111.2ºF), which was hot enough to kill the spiders which used to hide up on the transparent verandah (patio) roof. Thankfully it was too hot to go outside, but we absolutely baked in the heat. I think the East Coasters are going to cop it this year, according to the forecast, which will be interesting as they are nowhere near as acclimatised to the heat as us West Coasters are.

Mike’s Family Traditions

So Christmas foods for us and traditions have to revolve around things more appropriate for summer. This means BBQ’s and seafood for lunch, cold salads and other dishes, and perhaps a small roast meal in there as well (though not as often as before).

My family’s traditions have changed over the years. Mostly it’s the same as anywhere – We all piled into a car to go visiting relatives, eat far too much food, laugh way too loud before piling back into the car to visit another relative’s house.

Families across Australia usually have people over for lunches and dinner, blokes standing around cooking a BBQ and telling tall tales, the kids playing sports or running around with far too much sugar in them, and the ladies sitting and chatting amongst themselves with a nice glass of wine. We’re often very relaxed as to how it all goes.

No Cash? No Problem!

Often people don’t have a lot of cash to spend on holidays away, and to be honest we don’t really need to go that far. 90% of us live on or near the coast, and that means a ton of parks, beaches and other great free locations to go to for the day.

For those who go to a park or the beach (which often happens as it’s a great time to be out amongst other people), several families who might not know each other will get together to play cricket, kick a football around or go swimming. It becomes a communal event, and a great place to meet new people or just have fun outdoors.

The Yugoslavian traditions we used to have meant that in the year a massive gathering was organised, you could count on the most succulent lamb, and pig slow cooked on a spit that you’ve ever had in your life.

This was when a lot of the extended group used to live out in the Swan Valley area, with massive farm blocks the kids could run wild on, and everyone have a great time just catching up with one another. Unfortunately, due to the war back in the 90’s fracturing the Yugoslavian community (everyone is now Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, etc.) and the moving away of family members, it’s not really happened as much since. If there is one thing I would like to resurrect, it’s definitely this style of gathering.

A White Christmas? Not!

I’ve always wanted to experience a white Christmas, but I have to say, being able to get around easily, not deal with inclement weather, and to go outside to enjoy the outdoors or have a swim at the beach or play cricket in the park is an absolute joy at Christmas.

There are definitely times when you wish you had a snowball ready to cool yourself or someone else down with, but for the most part it’s a really wonderful time of year to be having a celebration. The closest analogy I can make is our Christmas celebrations would be much akin to the 4th of July celebrations in the USA. Perfect time of year to be getting out and visiting people, eating way too much and generally having a great time.

See You Next Year

I’d just like to say thanks to everyone here at the Swirl World, especially the hosts Michelle and Adrienne, for the wonderful opportunity of being an Ambassador for Australia to you all. You inspire me greatly and have made me feel very warm and welcomed. Wishing the best for all of you and your family’s this year, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you one and all! I’ll be sending warm thoughts out to you from Down Under to keep those winter chills away! Have a great one and I look forward to talking to you all again in the New Year!

Cheers!

Mike

MIKE MIOCEVICHGot questions for Mike? Send them to us via inbox on Facebook or email them to ASwirlGirl@TheSwirlWorld.com.

We’ll be back January 6, 2014 with more Mondays With Mike!

Follow Mike on Twitter @500and50 and read his blog at 500and50.com, or message him on his 500and50 Facebook page.

 

Join in the Fray: Where are you spending Christmas this year?

All rights reserved. Copyright © 2013 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, Dallas, TX, USA. 

Be Sociable! Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: Mondays With Mike, Uncategorized Tagged With: Australia, Black women, Black. White, Christmas, Christmas celebration, Christmas dinner, dating, Facebook, interracial, interracial dating, interracial marriage, interracial relationships, Mike, Monday, Mondays With Mike

What I Want You to Do

December 25, 2012 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 2 Comments

I want you to enjoy this thing we call the holidays.

Regardless of your form of celebration, please do get some rest. Spend some quality time with the people you love the most – and spend some quality time with you.

Enjoy your meal(s), and try to not over-indulge.  (I know, right? I did say try.) Since we had such a huge meal for Thanksgiving, the Christmas Dinner Planners (a committee consisting of my cousin Janelle, my aunt Doe, and me) decided to scale back on the offerings for Christmas dinner. This year we’re dining on Creole jambalaya, Southern fried chicken, green bean casserole. various salads, and multiple desserts.

I’m doing something special: I’m making Cajun crackers! 

 

It’s too late for you to try them in time for Christmas (this photo is from Day 1), but here’s the recipe so you can have them with your New Year’s meal:

Recipe:

1 large pickle jar (or other wide-mouth jar. You can also use an extra-large Ziplock bag if you don’t have a jar).

1 box Saltine crackers

1 cup canola oil

1 package ranch dressing mix

2 heaping tablespoons red pepper flakes

Place the 4 packs of Saltines in the jar or Ziplock bag.

Mix the wet/dry ingredients together and stir well.

Pour the mixture over the crackers and seal the jar.

For the next three days, occasionally roll the jar (or carefully flip the Ziplock bag).

Open the jar on the third day and serve. These taste great plain, with cream cheese, or with pepper jelly.

Merry Christmas, people. Have fun today!

Join in the Fray: How are you celebrating today?

 Copyright © 2012 Michelle Matthews Calloway, All rights reserved.

Be Sociable! Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: Special, Uncategorized Tagged With: Christmas celebration, Christmas dinner, Family, food, friends, fun, interracial, interracial dating, interracial marriage, interracial relationships, relaxation, rest

The Swirl World Mug
The Swirl World Mug
by TheSwirlWorld

Join The Swirl Nation and Receive Updates Via Email!

Are You In?

Provide your email address if you'd like to hear from us from time to time. We promise we won't spam you!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Looking for something? Search here!

Welcome!

I’m Michelle Matthews-Calloway, and I’m A Swirl Girl! Greetings to you from The Swirl World. We encourage Black women to expand their relationship options by dating and marrying interracially. Our overarching mission is to see Black Women live their best life. Come Swirl with us in The Swirl World™, where we celebrate Black women and the diverse men who love us!™

Join The Swirl World on Facebook

Join The Swirl World on Facebook

Listen to the Podcast on Sound Cloud

Join A Swirl Girl On Instagram

Instagram

Connect With Michelle On LinkedIn

View Michelle Matthews Calloway's profile on LinkedIn

Check Out Interracial Match!

InterracialMatch.com - the best interracial dating site!
InterracialMatch.com - the best interracial dating site!
The Swirl World Logo Flow Tee
The Swirl World Logo Flow Tee
by TheSwirlWorld
The Swirl World Logo Sticker
The Swirl World Logo Sticker
by TheSwirlWorld

Podcasts We Love

  • #SmartBrownVoices
  • Back2Us Radio Network
  • Behind The Brilliance
  • Black Girl Nerds
  • Design The Life You Want
  • Her Power Hustle
  • Interracial Jawn
  • Just Thinkin' Out Loud Media
  • Live By Design Inspiration Radio
  • Nerdy Black Chicks
  • The Freedom Biz
  • The Productive Woman
  • This Week In Blackness

Blogroll

  • 500and50
  • A Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss
  • African American 101
  • Afrobella
  • Alaia Williams
  • Alphanista
  • Awesomely Luvvie
  • Baggage Reclaim
  • Beyond Black & White
  • Black Female Interracial Marriage
  • Black Girl Nerds
  • Black Girls Blogging
  • Black Women Deserve Better™
  • Black Women with Other Brothers
  • Black Women’s Interracial Relationship Circle
  • Bougie Black Girl
  • Chonilla
  • Courtney Herring
  • Elle Veg- All Things Vegetarian
  • For Harriet
  • Happy Black Woman
  • Interracial Dating Coach
  • Joyce L. Rodgers
  • Just Ask Kaye
  • Kaywanda Lamb
  • Littlefoot's Journey
  • LorMarie's Place
  • Married Girl in a Weird World
  • Mom's 'N Charge
  • MONETIZE THYSELF with Nicole Walters
  • Neecy's Nest
  • Oneika the Traveller
  • Petals
  • Socialite Dreams
  • Surviving Dating
  • Talk To Amber
  • The New Elegant Black Woman
  • The Social Graces & Savoir Faire Institute of Etiquette
  • The Sojourner’s Passport
  • The Style and Beauty Doctor
  • The Trendy Socialite
  • The Working Home Keeper
  • The World of Miss Glamtastic
  • Tia Delano
  • Water Cooler Convos

Copyright Terms:

All rights reserved. All work is the copyright of the respective owner, otherwise copyright ©2015 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, The Swirl World Podcast™, The Swirl World Inspiration Daily™, Swirl Nation™, all rights reserved, Dallas, TX, USA.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Archives

  • October 2018 (1)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • August 2017 (2)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (2)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (14)
  • November 2016 (3)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (4)
  • July 2016 (9)
  • June 2016 (9)
  • May 2016 (11)
  • April 2016 (5)
  • March 2016 (11)
  • February 2016 (13)
  • January 2016 (7)
  • December 2015 (34)
  • November 2015 (32)
  • October 2015 (35)
  • September 2015 (34)
  • August 2015 (34)
  • July 2015 (32)
  • June 2015 (38)
  • May 2015 (40)
  • April 2015 (37)
  • March 2015 (37)
  • February 2015 (33)
  • January 2015 (37)
  • December 2014 (18)
  • November 2014 (7)
  • October 2014 (5)
  • September 2014 (8)
  • August 2014 (7)
  • July 2014 (12)
  • June 2014 (9)
  • May 2014 (3)
  • April 2014 (4)
  • March 2014 (8)
  • February 2014 (5)
  • January 2014 (7)
  • December 2013 (8)
  • November 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (2)
  • September 2013 (4)
  • August 2013 (6)
  • July 2013 (30)
  • June 2013 (4)
  • May 2013 (5)
  • April 2013 (29)
  • March 2013 (5)
  • February 2013 (5)
  • January 2013 (31)
  • December 2012 (4)
  • November 2012 (29)
  • October 2012 (2)
  • August 2012 (1)
  • July 2012 (1)
  • June 2012 (3)
  • May 2012 (1)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • May 2011 (4)
  • April 2011 (5)
  • March 2011 (4)
  • February 2011 (4)
  • January 2011 (4)

Copyright © 2025 · The Swirl World™ LLC. All Rights Reserved. · Log in

%d