And so the sun rises on another Christmas day in Australia.
What a strange day it must be to new arrivals from other parts of the world. A day when the vast majority of people have a holiday. The roads are mostly free of cars - and there are no newspapers or news broadcasts on radio and TV - and the only shops open for business are petrol stations - and the odd corner store.
Nomatter what their religion, it will not take long for those new arrivals to adjust and accept that Christmas brings a work free day. Devout Christians flock to church services. The less devout head to the beach - or have a BBQ somewhere.
Then there is the Santa Claus custom. Hordes of children will wake early, wide eyed and anxious to see what the man in the red suit brought them. Many people of other religions have adopted this Christian fable as part of their Australian life.
It is even reported that Christmas gift giving has had an impact in Muslim Indonesia. The department stores in Jakarta and the other big cities have started to decorate for Christmas and promote the festival, and the gift giving is starting to take hold, specially as a reward for good children.
Unfortunately there will also be the sad side of Christmas. Some people will be homeless and many will go hungry. There will inevitably be some deaths on our roads and abuse of drugs and alcohol will deliver a miserable Christmas for some.
Christmas will be what each individual makes of it. Approach it in the right frame of mind and it will be a happy time. A day off. A good feed. Good company with loved ones - who could ask for more on the twenty-fifth of December each year ?
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