Yesterday I went to the mall and wandered through David Jones, which is the equivalent to something like Macy's, and from the moment I walked in, I could hear the faint ringing of bells. I followed the sound through the aisles and eventually found myself standing in front of a large display for Christmas - trees, lights, ornaments, Santa Clauses and nutcrackers... in August! At home we follow the progression of autumn into winter with three major holidays. As the air becomes crisp and the leaves begin to change, stores fill with pumpkins, candy, spider webs, and witch hats for Halloween, and the second trick-or-treating is over, we start preparing for Thanksgiving. We stuff our faces with turkey and pie, and you can always count on waking up the next morning to find Christmas carols on the radio on your way to a Black Friday shopping spree.

In Australia, Halloween is unheard of, and Thanksgiving is an American holiday - so I guess they have no choice but to jump right in to Christmas here. I don't know what's crazier: the fact that the stores all have Christmas displays already, or that I actually bought a handful of Aussie Christmas ornaments in August.

Deck the halls