It was that time of year where the whole family get together, stay indoors during the cold winter and have a roast dinner. But for the first time in my life I wasn't there, I was in the land down under.

The build up was just as unusual as the actual day here. Chilling at the lagoon in boiling temperatures while Christmas carols were blaring out of the public speakers. Doing your shopping in a quiet supermarket and the whole way the festivities are played down as a weird experience.

Christmas eve was when the festivities started at the hostel, since we were going to the lagoon to have a BBQ and drink all day I tried to be a bit more sensible on Xmas eve to keep me fresh, bottle of wine would do for me.

Tony started his drinking around midday and I should really have said no in hindsight to a haircut after he had drank 3 litres of goon but since he was lending the clippers I thought I should get it done at the same time too.

He still points the blame when his neck was cut after the faulty clippers last time at me but the way he cut my hair I thought he had done a good job. Going to the balcony to sit with the rest of our group where I later worked out all the sly hints, such as;

you look like rick mayall from the young ones

Show everyone your haircut

Turn your head to the side etc etc.

I thought I was laughing with them but the joke was on me! Wasn't until the next morning after I had a shower that I felt a tuft of hair still there, Matt, greg, eimer and load of other ppl played it down saying nah it blends in you can hardly tell but since my hair was so short I knew it wouldnt be true.

Finally I was shown a picture of what he did to me and to be fair it is really funny, but I will get him back.

We packed up our goon, beers and spirits along with the kangaroo burgers, sausages and chicken skewers and headed down to the park.

We found a good spot near a BBQ so we didn't have to wait long for the food, and the area was shaded so I wouldn't get burnt or a stupid tan line on the back of my head.

We bought far too much food between us all, 10 people in total. But we wasted no time getting back on the drink. After relaxing and talking a while we had a few games of football. Drank some more all afternoon until the sun came down.

I lose track of exactly what happened near the end of the lagoon but people started going off back to the hostel. Last people left were me Tony, James and Matt, with eimer and Greg who had turned up late on.

After eyeing up jumping off the bridge since he arrived and with plenty alcohol down him, Tony decided to jump the bridge which I'm not sure of the height but it's bloody high! Greg also went with him and a couple of lads from newcastle we stumbled across had a mate who wanted a go. So me eemer and James stayed by the waterfront videoing the jumps and it was pretty crazy. especially since they could have been done by the police for doing it and the current could have been stronger.

Finally we got to the hostel after what seemed for an eternity of walking. We played some pool with the nightshift guy who on his days off gets drunk, he apparently use to have a problem with alcohol an no surprise since the night before we found him passed out in a corridor.

He had some blood on his ear so I asked him when I told me that the backpackers bar just a few doors up had pretty much kicked him out and the bar manager did a mike Tyson and bit him on the ear!

Overall it never felt like Christmas today, not just the weather and what we got up to, but because it's not taken anywhere near as seriously as back home, the lagoon was filled with family's who must feel it's just like any other day except for the presents, but it was a really cool experience.