Many families have Christmas traditions that have been passed down through generations. Some families always enjoy a large breakfast together on Christmas morning, while other families celebrate by taking tons of photos together in matching holiday pajamas.
Keith Urban and his wife, Nicole Kidman, have their own Christmas tradition with their two daughters, Sunday and Faith. It’s a tradition that dates back to Keith’s childhood.
Both Keith and Nicole grew up in Australia, and they still spend a lot of time there. Since Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the opposite of what they are in the Northern Hemisphere. So while those in the North are bundling up in coats and experiencing white Christmases, Christmas occurs during the summer season in Australia.
Because of this, many Australians celebrate Christmas by spending time at the beach. It’s a tradition Keith’s family followed while he was growing up:
“We had great Christmases growing up,” Keith said in a statement quoted by his record label, which was shared by iHeartCountry. “I really, really enjoyed them. Mostly, we’d go to the beach, you know, ’cause there it’s summertime. Load up the station wagon and head off to the beach.”
Keith said he and Nicole continue the tradition by taking their daughters to the beach for Christmas:
“Yeah, we still love going to the beach at Christmas time, as long as we’re in Australia, because it’s like the Fourth of July. It’s huge,” he said. “Everybody’s out. It feels very celebratory. It’s in the ‘90s. It’s crazy, but having grown up with that, it feels very natural to me. Albeit it, we still had all of the same Christmas songs, so we’re in like 90-degree heat with shorts and tank tops singing ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland,’ and I remember getting Christmas cards of like Santa on a surfboard, so that probably explains a lot.“
Going to the beach sounds like a fun way to spend Christmas Day!
Does your family have any longstanding Christmas traditions? And for any Australians out there…do you spend your Christmases at the beach too?