How do Aus\New Zealanders define their yearly months in comparison to the north?  When it's December in the USA/Europe in time for Christmas do Aussies celebrate this holiday in the summer or do they wait until winter is actually in their area?  Do they call a summer month June or do they stick with the northern standard and June for them is a winter month?  It's crazy to think the USA\Europe set the standard around the world even the southern hemisphere to a point where June, July, and August is known locally as winter time and December is known as the summer.  That would seem odd to accept Santa with snow when your whole country is experiencing summer.  You'd think outside of New Years, holidays\months would be appropriate to the season in local areas and not what the north define has defined for the whole world.  What I mean here is the months rotate differently depending on what side of the equator your on (December down there is winter if that makes since)... 

 

 

I'm asking all this because I've finally built up NZ and AUS in FS and choosing the months that side of the equator don't jive with the actual seasons.  It sparked the question do we have a universal standard like ZULU time or when it comes to months it's a flip so around the world June is a summer time month no matter where you are...    

In southern africa June is WINTER and December is Summer.

July is July... no matter where you are in the world... seasons are different in each hemisphere but the calendar months are not based on seasons.

 

It's winter in Australia, but it is still July 5th. You naturally associate July with warm weather because you live in the Northern hemisphere where that is and always has been the norm. Someone who lives in Sydney will naturally associate July with winter because that's what they are used to. They don't celebrate Christmas on July 25th.. they celebrate it on December 25th the same as you do.

July is July... no matter where you are in the world... seasons are different in each hemisphere but the calendar months are not based on seasons.

 

It's winter in Australia, but it is still July 5th. You naturally associate July with warm weather because you live in the Northern hemisphere where that is and always has been the norm. Someone who lives in Sydney will naturally associate July with winter because that's what they are used to. They don't celebrate Christmas on July 25th.. they celebrate it on December 25th the same as you do.

 

That's odd as Santa and the whole season activities are associated with cold. How can that be rationalized in the summer, you'd think they'd have different holidays to associated with their seasonal reality down there.

That's odd as Santa and the whole season activities are associated with cold. How can that be rationalized in the summer, you'd think they'd have different holidays to associated with their seasonal reality down there.

 

Why should they?  I'm sure people in Australia & new Zealand are quite happy with their arrangements.

And yes, we in the Southern hemisphere experience drain water in the sink  spinning in an opposite direction going down the drain to those who live in the Northern hemisphere. As far as the seasons go. If you go to YCOM (Cooma) or YHOT(Mt Hotham) in FSX now, you will see snow because we are in the middle of Winter. These airports are gateways to our Snow fields, go to them in December, in your Winter our Summer and there is no snow. The wonder of nature.

That's odd as Santa and the whole season activities are associated with cold. How can that be rationalized in the summer, you'd think they'd have different holidays to associated with their seasonal reality down there.

 Actually... It's COMMERCIALIZATION and marketing that perpetuates the stereotypical Christmas holiday as a cold weather event.

 

Some cultures don't even recognize Santa as being a part of Christmas and, of course, some cultures don't even celebrate Christmas at all. It's all relative to what you grew up with.

 

You live in Minnesota - a state that barely has time to defrost in the summer months. You naturally associate snow and cold weather with Christmas, however when I lived in Hawaii and Guam, we focused on the "spirit" of the holiday (gift-giving, goodwill towards others, etc..) and less on the temperature. You don't equate Christmas with snow when you live in a place where the average year-round mean temperature rarely dips below 70ºF.

 

Its all relative.

When I was in Australia in 2007, I bought a delightfully cheeky map of the world that had the Southern Hemisphere at the top with the Northern Hemisphere at the bottom.

 

As for dealing with the absence of snow in December, some people spray artificial snow over their Christmas trees. But since this is mostly done for the amusement of children, it's really not a big deal. The people I know mostly associated Christmas with going to some beach town to get away from it all.

 

Since moving to the UK, I've come to appreciate the appeal of going to the beach over Decembers.

I would rather be down the beach with a cold drink at Christmas than shovelling snow! Don't forget that South America has the same issue. 

I get what you all are saying, I've been to Perth but never thought about it when I was there so many years ago. I actually grew up in San Diego so I dealt with warm winters most of my life. The thing that's shocking is the concept of July being winter and Christmas in the summer. Western world influence on other western world cultures is amazing. So many simularities from how roads and highways are laid out (although Aus/NZ drive on the opposite side of the road) to universal holidays revolving around when the US celebrates them regardless of season in the local area. Just like the universal ATC language is English so much is the same yet different in many places. This doesn't appy to Asian and Middle East areas but many more than I realized. I thought Auz/NZ celebrated things differently for no more than the fact everything is reverse season wise than the north. I guess South America is the same way in this regard. This is not something one normally thinks about but is interesting when you contemplate it.

Tom wins!

We all have our own pet kangaroos too, don't forget that.

I get what you all are saying, I've been to Perth but never thought about it when I was there so many years ago. I actually grew up in San Diego so I dealt with warm winters most of my life. The thing that's shocking is the concept of July being winter and Christmas in the summer. Western world influence on other western world cultures is amazing. So many simularities from how roads and highways are laid out (although Aus/NZ drive on the opposite side of the road) to universal holidays revolving around when the US celebrates them regardless of season in the local area. Just like the universal ATC language is English so much is the same yet different in many places. This doesn't appy to Asian and Middle East areas but many more than I realized. I thought Auz/NZ celebrated things differently for no more than the fact everything is reverse season wise than the north. I guess South America is the same way in this regard. This is not something one normally thinks about but is interesting when you contemplate it.

 

Just food for thought, more people drive on the 'opposite side' of the road in the the world than not, At Christmas we wish everyone a Happy or Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays like in the US.

 

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Would 'like' this if I could...  :Applause:  

At Christmas we wish everyone a Happy or Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays like in the US.

 

 

Bingo!!! Best answer in my book for a very different and larger topic. 

 

The US is so drunk off of political correctness it's reached the point of insanity...