Many Aussies dream of a northern hemisphere Christmas and when they travel abroad, enjoy experiencing the wintry scenes: snowy streetscapes with twinkling fairy lights; long evenings next to a log fire; woolly Christmas jumpers and mulled wine.
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But not all intended to have quite so many of them.
As travel restrictions lift, northern hemisphere-dwelling Aussies are heading back in their droves for their own Christmas traditions, as Tim Minchin famously wrote about in his song "Drinking white wine in the sun".
For some, it will be their first Christmas back in their home towns with their families for years, thanks to the pandemic.
Callum Wheeler, 44, is most looking forward to being reunited with his wife Mel and their kids Kade, 13 and Archie, 10, who moved back in September, and seeing all his family and friends.
But he's also got his eye on the cricket.
"The Ashes are about to kick off. So I've already booked in for that," he told AAP.
"I'm also looking forward to the coffee, the food ... going down to the old market, having a couple of dim sims, walking around and doing the Saturday morning shop.
"It's one of my favourite times of the year."
Wintry Christmases were "surprisingly good", says Wheeler, who has been living in an idyllic small village in Gloucestershire since the family moved to the UK in early 2019.
"You get up in the morning, put everything for the hot roast on, go down to the pub - and the whole town's in the pub - then go back and have your lunch. It's been nice," he says.
He's interested to see how he will assimilate back into the Aussie way of life.
"I don't think Australia will have changed but I will have. So, it will be seeing how I'll slot back in," he said.
Melbourne-born sisters Helen and Michelle Beatty are heading back for their first Christmas home since 2018.
Both are most excited about seeing family - especially their new niece and nephew who they haven't met in person yet.
Helen and her partner are so intent on not missing out, they are in a self-imposed, working-from-home lockdown for the two weeks leading up to their flight to ensure there's no chance of coronavirus ruining their trip.
"I'm looking forward to BBQ Shapes, rose by the pool, walking Kip (the family dog) going to cricket at the G, walking around the Tan, followed by a great coffee," she said.
Isolating isn't an option for photographer Michelle who is excited about going home but sad she can't bring her British partner to introduce him to her family and home town.
"It's really frustrating that we're going to go see family and it's all inclusive but Rex can't come because he's not an Australian," she said.
"So COVID's still splitting families."
Australian Associated Press
