1. Beach days

What’s Christmas without a beach trip? For those who live in colder climes a beach day may be a odd activity for the Christmas period, but for Aussies it is a staple for beating the heat and catching up with friends and family. Rennie Ellis‘s photos perfectly capture the carefree beach vibe of Victorians enjoying the sand, sun and surf.

Crowded beach scene of beachgoers at Elwood beach,
Crowd at Elwood Beach, 1985; H2011.130/1344. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.
Men and women in bathing suits, some seated on beach towels or deck chairs, beach hut with doors wide open in background.
Beachgoers relaxing on grassy sand dune, unidentified Victorian beach, 1982; H2011.130/1172. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.
Small blonde child sitting in the sand at the beach.

Child sitting in the sand at the beach, [198-]; H2012.140/1767. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.

2. BBQs

What is summer – or Christmas for that matter – without a barbie?

Shows a young man standing at a barbeque with sausages and chops, people in a backyard behind him.
Backyard barbeque, Melbourne suburb, [between 1981 and 2000]; H2012.140/638. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.
A group of young people standing around a bush barbeque with meat being cooked.
A barbeque, [197-]; H2012.140/2640. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.
Three people in front of a smoking BBQ in dim light or twilight, cooking meat.
Three people standing, cooking over a barbeque, between 1981 and 2000; H2012.140/639. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.

3. Being merry

Often involving both beaches and BBQs, whether it’s a work Christmas party or holiday catch-ups, merry-making and being jolly tend to be high priorities on our social calendars over the holiday period, usually with lots of food and a bevvy (or four) if we feel inclined.

Whole-length group portrait of people seated at tables with red and white "Enjoy Coke" Umbrellas and other people standing around; also beer jugs and beer glasses and in the background the 3AW Radio station van.
Beer garden at Portsea Hotel, 1983; H2011.130/457. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.
Two women dancing, arms in the air at the Fashion Industries Christmas party at Café Cliquot, Carlton.
Fashion Industries’ Xmas party at Cafe Cliquot, Carlton, [198-]; H2011.150/1791. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.
Sitting on rugs and foldable chairs, two of the women are wearing Santa hats.
Group of women having a picnic in a park at Christmas time, [between 1970 and 1990]; H2012.140/3654. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.

4. Cricket

The Boxing Day test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has been a beloved Victorian tradition since 1980.1 But Christmas cricket at the ‘G’ goes back a lot longer than most people might know; intercolonial cricket matches were played at the MCG over the Christmas period as early as 1856.2 In January 1893 Victoria was awarded the first intercolonial Sheffield Shield (Victoria beat New South Wales in front of a crowd of 48,000).3

We take our cricket anywhere we can get it though, whether at the beach, in the backyard, or on the street or a side alley with the wheelie bin subbing for the stumps.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day, 1874; A/S24/01/74/184-5
Crowds of people at the MCG in the grandstand; Foster's sponsorship.
Spectators in the grandstand at the MCG, 1992; H2010.115/266. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.
Men and boys, wearing bathers, playing beach cricket on the sand at Portsea Beach. They are using old pier piles as wickets. On the beach in the background, beachgoers are sunbathing and relaxing. Coastal vegetation, inclugind tea-tree, forms a backdrop to the picture.
Beach cricket, Portsea, 1987; H2011.130/1252. Photo by Rennie Ellis. This image is in copyright.
Shirtless man playing backyard cricket, batting in front of cricket stumps. Boy standing nearby observing.
Man playing  cricket in a yard, small boy watching, 1970; H2010.105/223c. Photo by Alan Jordan. This image is in copyright.

5. Carols by Candlelight

Bringing Christmas joy for 85 years, this beloved tradition was founded by popular 3KZ radio announcer Norman Banks (1905-1985). Since 1965 all proceeds from Vision Australia’s Carols by Candlelight have gone to support children who are blind or have low vision, and their families.4 Whether we experience the visual spectacle of thousands of candles illuminating the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in person, or broadcast onto our TV screens, the carols remain a treasured part of Christmas Eve.

Learn more about the history of the Carols in our blog: https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/our-stories/ask-a-librarian/carols-by-candlelight/

Elevated view of seated audience holding candles, and candle light from the rest of the audience seated on the lawns in background, lit stage with seated choir and musicians in right background
Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind – Carols by Candlelight, 1965/1975; 3351114. Photo by Laurie Richards. This image is in copyright.
Selection of various front covers of Carols by Candlelight programs
Carols by Candlelight programmes from Records of Norman Banks manuscript, 1957 – 1971; YMS 16274

6. Myer Christmas windows

The Myer Christmas windows hold a special place in the heart of most Melburnians. Christmas does not feel like Christmas without a trip to Bourke Street to marvel at the window displays. The much-loved tradition is now in its 67th year.

The Library’s Coles Myer archive – a collection of over 30,000 items, stored across one linear kilometre of shelving – contains many items and photographs that chronicle the history of the Christmas windows. We also very fortunate to hold a collection of images taken by the photographer Lloyd Hull (1916-1996), who faithfully captured every single window – from Famous Fairy Tales, to Arabian Nights, to Snugglepot and Cuddlepie – for nearly forty years.

Learn more about the history of the Myer Christmas windows in our blog: https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/such-was-life/myer-christmas-windows/

Colour image of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie scene from a Myer Christmas window, showing various 'gumnut babies'
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, Window 2, 1970; H2018.373/48. Photo by Lloyd Hull. This image is in copyright.
Colour image of Nutcracker themed from a Myer Christmas window, showing what appears to be an 'underwater' scene with fish pulling a golden carriage with uniformed attendants.
The Nutcracker, Window 3, The Journey, 1957, H2018.373/10. Photo by Lloyd Hull. This image is in copyright.
Colour image of Snow Queen scene from a Myer Christmas window, showing an artic landscape with the Snow Queen and a polar bear.
The Snow Queen, 1977; H2018.373/116. Photo by Lloyd Hull. This item is in copyright.

7. A photo with Santa

A must-do activity for the young (and young-at-heart), and to ensure that Santa is up-to-date with any last minute additions to the Christmas wish list.

Read about Santa’s important work in department stores over the years in our blog: https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/our-stories/ask-a-librarian/how-to-train-your-santa/

Girl sitting on Santa's knee at Coles Bourke Street Store No. 200
Girl sitting on Santa’s knee at Coles Bourke Street Store No. 200, 1955/1960; 9939752108607636. This item is in copyright.
Shows man dressed as Santa Claus, young children nearby.
Santa at McCallums, Wangaratta, Victoria, 1970; H2006.100/1738. Photo from Le Dawn Studios archive, State Library of Victoria. This item is in copyright.

8. Shopping

What is Christmas – or Boxing Day – without shopping? With the proliferation of shopping centres like Chadstone (1960), Northland (1966) and Highpoint (1975) in the outer suburbs, Bourke Street mall is no longer the primary shopping destination it was in days gone by. However, we still love the Christmas hustle and energy in the city as we hunt for last-minute stocking fillers, or an end-of-year bargain at Myer.

Scene of streams of Christmas shoppers window shopper and carrying their purchases.
Christmas shoppers, 1970; H2006.100/1772. Photo by Le Dawn Studios. This image is in copyright.
Two girls in dresses with their backs to the camera looking at Christmas decorations on the Coles Bourke Street Store No. 12, which includes a large Santa figure.
Two girls looking Christmas decorations on the Coles Bourke Street Store No. 12, 1954; 9939752296907636. Photo by Herald-Sun.
View of Bourke Street shipping strip with vehicles and people. Christmas decorations can be seen including reindeers suspenders from wires above the road.
Bourke St. shopping, 1950/1960; MF 8452. Photo by Sutcliffe Pty Ltd. This image is in copyright.

You may also like

The Myer Christmas windows
‘I’m the boy that brings the news, so a Christmas box I won’t refuse.’
Christmas and the Ashes
  1. Collett, M, (25 Dec 2016), ‘The surprisingly short history of the Boxing Day Test‘, ABC News, accessed 13 December 2022
  2. Dunstan, K, 2000, The People’s Ground: The MCG, 4th ed, Arcadia, Melbourne, p 17
  3. Batchelder, A, 2005, Pavilions in the Park: A History of the Melbourne Cricket Club and its Ground, Vol 1, Australian Scholarly publishing, Melbourne, p 281. Also see (1893, April 22). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 – 1946), p 17)

    The Sheffield Shield was Australia’s first domestic first-class cricket competition. Originally a contest between three states – Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia – Queensland joined the competition in 1926-27 season, Western Australia in the 1947-48 season, and Tasmania in 1977-78 season on a 2 year trial, from Dunstan, K, 2000, The People’s Ground: The MCG, 4th ed, Arcadia, Melbourne, p 70

    Also see Senyard, J, “Cricket”, eMelbourne

  4. eMelbourne, 2008, Carols by Candlelight, viewed 13 December 2022, <https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00300b.htm>
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