Sunburnt Santa: sunnies, zinc and a red ute

Sunburnt Santa is Father Christmas after he's moved somewhere warm. Sunnies always on, short sleeves, a big white beard, a bigger grin and a stripe of zinc (the thick white sunscreen Aussies paint on their noses) where his sunburn used to be. He is the hero of every door in the calendar: you're always playing as him or helping him get Christmas done in the heat.

What he gets up to

On Day 1, Ute Run, he drives the outback jumping roos, wombats and emus, and on Day 24 he does the same run by moonlight, dropping presents in a capital city every 300 metres. In between he fires puddings at bin chickens from a gum tree (Day 2), water-bombs gulls off a jetty (Day 8) and flicks gum nuts at the cockies pulling his fairy lights off the roof (Day 14). He catches mangoes in a crate, tennis balls in keeping gloves and prawns in an esky, sprints barefoot over hot sand on Day 7, pulls bon bons with the family on Day 10 and flings snags onto Dad's barbie on Day 19. He pops up to cheer you on in the True Blue Quiz, and he's on a card in Snap! and on the apron of Santa Pinball.

The ute

The red ute (an Aussie pickup with an open tray) is his sleigh now, with the Christmas tree and the presents riding in the back. It stars in Ute Run and Christmas Eve Run, Santa waves out the window as he gives way to cassowaries on Day 13, and in Present Drop (Day 20) presents tumble out of the tray while Santa runs underneath with the sack. You'll also find it hiding under a hat in Secret Santa Shuffle.

About that sunburn

"Sunburnt" is the joke, not the plan. Santa learned the hard way, which is why he's never seen without his hat, sunnies and zinc now. Cancer Council's advice for an Aussie summer is Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide: clothing, sunscreen, a hat, shade and sunglasses [1]. Start with Ute Run or see how the calendar works.