Winter in the Southern Hemisphere is a lot different than winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter in the Southern Hemisphere is from June to September while winter in the Northern Hemisphere is from December to March.

The Southern Hemisphere is south of the equator. “Southern Hemisphere climates tend to be slightly milder than those at similar latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere,” according to Wikipedia.

Now, imagine the Christmas season. Both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere celebrate it at the same time, but while we sing about winter wonderlands and snow, the folks in Australia and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere are just starting their summer season. That means no hot cocoa by the fire but, instead, an afternoon chilling at the beach. When Americans and Europeans are ringing in the New Year bundled up in puffy jackets and flannel-lined jeans, the people in the Southern ends of South America and Africa are grabbing their sweaters for a midnight celebration.

That’s okay, though, because when we start thinking about taking a trip to the beach in June, they’ll start gearing up for a cold and blustery season.