2025 Wheatbelt Christmas Kitsch Award

This was a hard fought competition this year. The runner up was Brookton.

 

Helen posing with the Christmas decorations in Brookton.

 

But, the winner was Pingelly by a country mile. The town had made a huge effort with their Christmas decorations.

 

Santa on straw bales at Pingelly.

 

Follow that star.

 

Santa’s reindeer feeling the worse for the hot weather.

 

One of the many Christmas trees that lined the main street in Pingelly.

Merry Christmas

Perth Christmas Decorations 2022 by Paul Amyes on 500px.com
City of Perth Christmas Tree in Forest Place, Perth.

 

We’re gearing up for West Aussie Christmas. Temp here in the Wheatbelt metropolis is expected to be 38ºC or 100ºF so it’s a case of staying under the  aircon and Christmas lunch can’t involve the oven. Hope everyone stays safe over the holidays and has a great time.

 

Perth Christmas Decorations 2022 by Paul Amyes on 500px.com

Santa warming up for the Boxing Day test.

Christmas Tentacles of Doom

The Murray Street Christmas Tree. Perth, Western Australia.

I find it hard to do the Christmas thing – firstly because now the decorations and the food appears so early (our local supermarket started at the end of September), and secondly because it is generally so hot here. Lately its been unseasonably hot here for the last ten days or so with temperatures hitting 40º C. Santa and his reindeer would just melt  into a large red and white puddle. So when I went to get the car serviced the other day I went for a wander around Perth CBD and noticed that the City of Perth Council had been going around putting up the Chrimbo decorations. It seems that they’ve chosen a gold theme this year, not surprising really given that Western Australia produces  6% of the worlds production with 195 tonnes per annum, or 6.27 million troy ounces, or roughly $10 Billion AUD.There were some of the old favourites such as the Murray Street Mall Christmas Tree and the Santa’s Grotto but I wasn’t sure what was going on at the Perth Cultural Centre with the Christmas Tentacles of Doom, but hey it was colourful.

 

Santa’s grotto in the Perth Cultural Precinct, Northbridge.

 

The City of Perth Council decided to reference the Kangaroo Sculptures on St George’s Terrace side of Stirling Gardens by Joan Walsh-Smith and Charles Smith with their Christmas decorations on the lawn in front of their building.

 

Myers in Forest Place went for an enormous golden rocking horse as part of their Christmas decorations.

 

The ENEX arcade went with large golden reindeer with pyramidal Christmas Trees as their Christmas decorations.

 

Golden reindeer gate wishing people the seasons greetings as they walk between Perth Station and the Perth Cultural Precinct.

 

A golden Christmas fox in Murray Street Mall, Perth, Western Australia.

 

Not sure if these giant green and yellow tentacles were part of the Perth Christmas decorations but they were being put up with the decorations in Perth Cultural Centre.

Christmas Star

Christmas Star by Paul Amyes on 500px.com
The sun shines from behind the York Shire Christmas tree on Avon Terrace. York, Western Australia. Panasonic Lumix G85 with LEICA DG 8-18/F2.8-4.0 lens. Exposure: Aperture priority with -2 stops exposure compensation 1/250 s at f/16.0 ISO 200.

 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem  and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’

Matthew 2 v. 1-2 (NIVUK)

Merry Christmas

Christmas Tree by Paul Amyes on 500px.com
The Shire of York Christmas tree for 2016 on Avon Terrace. Sony A7r with Cosina Voigtlander 15mm f4.5 Super Wide – Heliar lens. Exposure: 1/125th sec, f16 ISO 800.