Christmas celebrations in the Southern Hemisphere are much different then the celebrations that take place in the Northern Hemisphere. The heat of early summer has an impact on the way people south of the equator celebrate Christmas. In the Southern Hemisphere, the holidays fall when the days are warmest and longest.
While countries in North America and Europe typically use fir trees, warm weather countries and island nations often turn palm trees into Christmas trees, decorating them with lights and island flora and fauna. Australians have a tradition of decorating native bushes with red flowered leaves, while people in the southernmost part of Africa decorate palm trees. When Europeans first arrived in Australia they were delighted that they could pick wild flowers resembling bells and bright green foliage covered in red and white flowers to use as Christmas decorations. This was a huge contrast to the bare trees and dormant gardens they had left behind in Europe.