Christmas Cheer and Kindness in the Outback

This Christmas, by all means, give presents and food, but also give kindness. No matter how you celebrate December 25, or even if you don’t, this day can still be a reminder that on the red soil of remote Australia there are people who are doing it tough. Reaching out to them makes us all stronger.

The heat in Alice Springs is soaring. Summer has hit. Many people have left the Red Centre for other places around Australia to join family and friends in end-of-year celebrations. However, there are still those who choose to stay in town and brave the rising temperatures.

In a place where such a large number of people come from other places, many will attend a so-called ‘orphan Christmas’ lunch or dinner this year. This is simply a gathering of those who don’t have relatives nearby and yet choose to find themselves in community on Christmas day. Whether going out bush or swimming in the backyard pool, the exchange of gifts, food, and company make this day richer for those far from loved ones. In such an isolated place, it is important to draw alongside people for support.

An outback Christmas: Share kindness with others

For others, the slightly cooler circumstances they find themselves in elsewhere around this huge country are a blessing. For some, they are returning to these places permanently. Others will brave the desert and return to Alice in the New Year. No matter the situation, or how hard the journey to this decision has been, kindness brings out the best in us.

Christmas Day is a day to smile, to hope, to share. Distance and closed borders have meant that this unusual year has been a hard one. Christmas does not look as expected for many people. Individuals are close to breaking. The ups and downs of the last two years have taken their toll. No matter where you find yourself this year, in the dust of the Central Desert, or the green expanses of a coastal city – or wherever else – may you greet others with kindness, and may they treat you likewise.