Surfs up for Santa in a Christmas down under

It’s the Santa photo with “a bit more soul”, sand and sunshine to match the quintessential Aussie Christmas.

The Harbord Hotel’s Surfing Santa on a wave at Freshwater Beach. Picture: Tim Hunter

It’s the Santa photo with “a bit more soul”, a lot more sand and far more sunshine to match the quintessential Aussie Christmas.

The Harbord Hotel in Freshwater, on the northern beaches, has provided an alternative to the traditional Chrissie snap sitting on Santa’s knee on a chair inside a store or mall as a way to celebrate summertime Yuletide Down Under.

Gone was Santa’s stuffy red velvet pants and out came boardies, surfboard and thongs as the hotel offered its Surfing Santa for pictures. It’s become so popular, hundreds of people booked an appointment.

“We wanted to pretty much give people Christmas memories that felt distinctly Australian,” Harbord Hotel’s Jessica Fitzgerald said.

One of the many locals grabbing a snap with Surfing Santa. Picture: Tim Hunter

The photo opportunity set-up, now in its fourth year, was a stone’s throw from Freshwater Beach, outside the hotel’s bottle shop.

Many locals grabbed their snap after a surf or swim.

“It’s become a tradition that is so loved in the community that there’s no way we couldn’t not do it,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“Many local families all around Sydney and northern beaches come to Freshwater (for this).”

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