Aussies nationwide share Christmas cheer

They frolicked on the beach at Bondi, picnicked in Melbourne's gardens and got close
to Santa in a remote Aboriginal community - Australians celebrated Christmas in ways
as diverse as the country is wide.
In bushfire-ravaged Kinglake, on the outskirts of Melbourne, it was a poignantly
different scene from what locals recalled of their Christmas Day three years before.
Travis and Denise Griffith remembered their surprise as Kinglake was blanketed with
snow on that occasion - an unheard-of phenomenon in a country that normally swelters
in December.
But while a cool wind blew on Christmas morning, the bare, blackened trees on the
surrounding mountains were a constant reminder of the February 7 bushfires in which
173 people died - 42 in Kinglake alone.
The Griffith family, who saved their home, wanted only to have a normal Christmas
for their three young children, Callum, 9, Mitchell, 7, and Alanah, 5.
"From the onset, we've tried to get everything back to normal really quickly," said
Mr Griffith, who took two and a half months off work after February 7 to repair the
family home and its scorched gardens.
"If the kids were going to be here (for Christmas) we wanted everything to look like
(it was) - apart from the trees, I can't paint them white, they'll always be black."
In Sydney, mild temperatures and the threat of rain kept people off the sand for the
traditional Christmas Day trip to the beach.
Normally, thousands flock to Bondi Beach on Christmas Day, but only a few hundred
ventured to the beach on Friday and even fewer went into the surf, Westpac Rescue
Helicopter Service crew chief Tony Wood said.
In central Australia, Christmas Day dawned cooler than normal and with a gesture of
goodwill for the Aboriginal families of the Ukaka, Wanmarra, Lilla and Ulpanyali
homelands.
At first light, the staff of Kings Creek Station took to the highway to deliver a
yuletide feast to each of the four communities, and for the first time the festive
tables were laden with something other than week-old kangaroo meat.
Stuffing their mouths with cherries, children rushed forth to shake Santa's hand and
climb into his arms.
Santa, aka German chef Marco Schmidt, relished the experience despite the beard
fluff caught in his teeth.
"Their smiles are bigger than any kids I've ever seen," he told AAP.
Back in Melbourne, strangers came together to celebrate Christmas at an inner city
picnic.
Seventy people gathered at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Gardens for the picnic, now in
its fourth year, organised by Newcomers Network founder Sue Ellson.
Meanwhile, heartfelt Christmas messages arrived for the families of Australian
defence force personnel serving overseas.
Joe Gilroy, serving in Afghanistan, sent a warm greeting to his wife in Townsville.
"I wish I was there with you, I miss you very much and I can't wait to spend the
next year with you," his message broadcast on Sky News said.
"To all my brothers and sisters around Australia, to my parents in northern NSW,
merry Christmas, I love you all, have a good time," Mr Gilroy said, his voice
shaking.
Jessica Watson, the 16-year-old Queenslander vying to become the youngest person to
sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, said she was having a White
Christmas in the middle of nowhere.
In her Christmas message on YouTube and in her blog, Jessica said fog in the
Southern Ocean had turned her Christmas white as she made good time near Point Nemo
- the part of the ocean farthest from any land.
"I'm having a bit of a White Christmas out here. It's really quite foggy, or very
misty, it's quite cool, it's a bit chilly, but we're also moving along nicely," she
said.