Because we're in the Southern Hemisphere, we don't get the chance to experience snow, cuddling in front of fireplaces, hot chocolate topped with too much whipped cream, ugly but festive sweaters, or even roasted chestnuts fresh out of the oven. Now, I'm of the mindset that we should have Christmas in July, despite the lack of snow, but that's not going to happen any time soon.
Instead, we're stuck with Christmases that are often warm, sometimes humid, sometimes dry, and once, stormy (but hot) with flash flooding and hail stones the size of golf balls. I call that day the only time Melbourne ever had a chance at a white Christmas.
So, how does one survive a hot Christmas smack dab right in the middle of Summer, especially without a swimming pool nearby to boot? Here's how:
1. Forget layers - think light, loose and comfortable. Ditch the jeans, wear a dress or a shirt and shorts/skirt. Ugly Christmas shirts like the ones you find at most department stores are Australia's answer for ugly sweaters, only that they're ridiculously tacky. All the better! I prefer to wear a light cotton dress.
2. Shave. No, seriously, shave! Or wax, if you want a longer lasting result. This is not for vanity, I swear, I couldn't care less if you went to the beach with hairy pits, but having smoothly shaven legs means your legs feel much cooler as there is no hair.
4. Avoid hot or really warm showers if you can. Try to keep it to a lukewarm temperature, because I find that fluctuating temperatures tends to make us feel iffy when it comes to the heat. If you're going to be in an airconditioned place, stay there. If you're going to be out and about, try to make sure you're not going from hot to cold, hot to cold suddenly.
5. Drink lots of water, preferably chilled, and avoid caffeinated drinks such as tea or coffee. Soft drinks gives such amazing short-term relief, but then you pee every 10 minutes or so, all the while still being incredibly thirsty. If you really want the taste of coffee, make a decaf iced coffee. So tasty!
6. Eat lots and lots of watermelon. This is my ultimate favourite fruit, but I generally eat it during the summer because it tastes best during the warmer weather, not to mention that it's cheaper too. It's full of water and when chilled, it can feel rather refreshing. I also like to cut cucumbers into quarters lengthwise, sprinkle some salt on them and eat as is.
7. Ice cream, I find, is too rich for the Summer, so I recommend that you go for sorbet or gelato instead. However, no one is going to hold it against you for wanting to eat ice cream. I also really like Smooze Fruit Ice, because it's made with coconut milk and has natural flavours such as mango and guava. Compared to regular ice cream, it contains less energy, fats, carbs, sugars and sodium, and they're vegan too, if that's your thing.
8. Pavlovas are the best dessert to have on a hot summer's day, especially for Christmas day. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a Christmas day go by when there wasn't a pavlova in sight - it's an Australian basic when it comes to Christmas entertaining. A fluffy meringue base, freshly whipped cream, ripe fruits piled high, ah *drools*.
9. I really don't like eating warm food in summer, it just feels uncomfortable and because I'm so prone to heat sickness, I try to stay as cool as possible at all times. I love making pasta salad, it's super tasty and filling, and one batch lasts a few days, so that's 3 days of dinner and lunch for two sorted. It's also a great dish to serve when entertaining for Christmas.
10. Carry with you bandaids, painkillers or pain relief medication, a bottle of water, and a hair tie if you have long hair. I recommended bandaids just in case you get a blister. I often get headaches due to the heat, so painkillers are a must. It would be better to have a bottle that keeps water cool for several hours, but freezing water in bottles also helps.
I am rather pathetic when it comes to heat, and will feel faint in the middle of winter if the room I am in is really warm. I tend to get nosebleeds in summer and they always come with a headache. I am definitely not a fan of summer for these reasons, as well as because peeling skin from sunburns make me want to upchuck, and I hate feeling sweaty and sticky.
I have more bad things to say about summer than I do good things, so I've given you guys a list of things that I do in order to keep cool and hope that it benefits you in some way. I also put wet face washers on my face at bedtime, because without them I feel like I'm being suffocated even if I don't have any blankets or sheets covering me.
Merry Blogmas to everyone!
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