Someone asked me the other day how we celebrate Christmas here in Australia. Sadly, I had to take a minute to think about it.

So, what do we do that is different from our friends up North? Not much! We still have a lot of winter themes: Christmas trees, (fake) snowmen, Santa Claus and more. Here's a question for my American and European friends...do you have carols by candlelight, or is it too cold? Because a twilight picnic in the park with candles, and everyone singing carols, is one of the highlights of the Christmas lead-in.

The big difference, as I see it, stems from the weather. Where I live, in Melbourne, it's not always hot, but it's a lot warmer than, say, New York or London. No snow in winter, and uncomfortably hot summers.

But some years Christmas day is so hot we don't even want to eat. I always feel sorry for the shopping centre Santas, in their padding and big red suits and fake beards. Even with aircon it has to be unbearable. Probably why we never see them on the actual street.

The heat is probably why the menu has evolved for a lot of Aussies. You'll still find turkey, ham, plum pudding etc, although it's likely to be served cold, but we also like to throw in the occasional barbecue, a lot of seafood, especially prawns, and my personal fave, ice-cream Christmas pudding. My aunt makes one to die for, check out the recipe here.

My family background is Italian, so my grandmother(s) always like to throw in some pasta, or roast pork. This year, I've been promised arancini for Christmas Eve, and I can't wait. And of course, there's panettone, which is traditionally for Easter, but somehow over the years took over Christmas as well.

I've spent Christmas at the beach, which can be a lot of fun. Not so fun: church without air conditioning when it's 35 degrees (that's celsius, quick calc...95°F). So even the cool-ness of swimming in the ocean on Christmas Day has a downside.

I guess when you get down to it, we've adjusted some things to suit the heat, some to suit family background, and try to keep the rest the same. It makes the movies seem more real!

If you live in snowy climes, this Christmas you should take some time to curl up with Inter-Office Relations, my latest release from The Wild Rose Press. 

With her resignation submitted, Jeannie Price has one last task she’s itching to perform before leaving her job. After months of sitting next to hot, sexy colleague Tim Harding, it’s time to turn fantasy into reality with a scorching invitation to collaborate on matters of the flesh in Conference Room B. Then she can walk away without regrets.

Tim’s dreams of wild, sweaty sex with Jeannie come true when he accepts her offer, but he’s stunned to learn she doesn’t want to see him again after their steamy tryst. She may be trying to brush him off as just one more item on her To-Do List, but he’s determined to convince her there’s nothing taboo about inter-office relations.

Click here to buy, or read an excerpt on my site.

I'll be selecting one lucky commenter to receive a title of their choice from Emma's backlist. I won’t be choosing until midnight Sunday, so you have plenty of time to read Inter-Office Relations and tell me what you think!

Huge thanks to Emma for hosting me today!