As the weather warms up, suddenly Christmas is upon us and at Peninsula Farm we are ready to welcome you and to share some simple, family-friendly joys of the season.
In a time before decorated trees and cards became popular, Christmas was a more low-key affair. We don’t know exactly how the Hardey family celebrated but decorating the house with local greenery, making a pudding, and singing hymns were likely.
In the early years of the colony, many families enjoyed a Christmas Day picnic by the river, under the shade of a tree, a sensible way to escape the heat. It was several decades later that picnics fell out of favour and moved indoors for the more English style Christmas dinner many of us are familiar with today.
Create new family traditions and join us at Peninsula Farm this season. Bring a picnic or enjoy a meal at Peninsula Farm Cafe, then visit the house to discover stories of Christmas in the colony, a time of goodwill.
Christmas in Australia [N. Chevalier, Illustrated Australian News, Dec. 23, 1865. State Library of Victoria]
The first commercially produced Christmas card 1843 with scenes of charity, food and clothing being given to the poor
