christmas 2014.

It's Christmastime in Melbourne! Last year, we had a lot of fun observing the holiday traditions of the city, so this year it's been nice knowing what to expect:

Flinders St. Station dressed up for the occasion.

the infamous Myer window displays.

decorations at the Harbour Town outlet

Town Hall projections - we really enjoyed this year's show.

We also got to observe some new stuff, such as the tree-lighting ceremony at Christmas Square. It was mostly a show for young children, with twin elves attempting to wow them with holiday-themed jokes, introducing various song-and-dance routines until it got dark enough to light the tree. The entertainment consisted of choirs, bands, dance troupes (think the "Mean Girls" xmas routine, with tank tops and reindeer headbands), and American-Idol-esque singers belting out cherished hits such as "Let it Go," "The Little Drummer Boy," and "A Whole New World" (with the lyrics cleverly tweaked: "...let me share this Christmas World with youuuu..."). At one point, a drunken man accidentally wandered onto the stage during a band performance - one of the elves tried (unsuccessfully) to get him to dance, before a few security guards sprung into action and gently guided him away from the performance. Once darkness fell, the elves summoned Santa Claus, who said a few Ho Ho Hos and then magically lit the tree with his Santa-powers. 

Christmas Square tree, pre-lighting

post-lighting ceremony.

We witnessed a giant flash mob of festive Melbournians, making their way up and down Bourke Street with boom boxes and selfie sticks, handing out candy to everyone who stopped and stared. 

This past weekend, we got to enjoy the first year of the Docklands Jubilation festival, which raised funds for the Country Fire Authority (CFA). There were delicious food trucks, informational booths about fire safety and bush fires, various antique vehicles on display, as well as a festive evening light show. My favourite part was Captain Koala (or "CK" as s/he was called), who did some song and dance routines with a partner to anthems about home fire safety ("What do you do when you hear that beeper? Beep--beep--beep-beep-beep!" "Get down low and go go go!").

Captain Koala - another CK.

antique fire vehicles!

Anyway, this is probably our last blog entry for 2014, as we're finally off on our official honeymoon - a two-week cruise to New Zealand! We wish all of our families and friends a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a wonderful, joyous Holiday Season. Thanks for following our journey, and we can't wait to share our NZ pictures and stories with you - next year!

CK

holiday cards I made for some family/friends this year.

our home decorations are so classy.