Australia sounds very much like South Africa, large number of family and friends gather, normally bring something along with them of late with cost of living.
Share from massive table where everyone is seated, talk over each other catching up on events or news....
Kitchen with wood panels home made becomes a passion job, wood being a warm element for cold country through Winter. Here stone in older homes was used most probably similar to Australia as well, thick walls to keep house cool during Summer.
Size of kitchens in older homes were massive where everyone congregated, having visited the North homes are far smaller in most that I have seen, limiting to numbers you can invite in.
Share from massive table where everyone is seated, talk over each other catching up on events or news....
It is a good time, isn't it?
I miss having family around - my wife's family only do this at Christmas and then, it is more formal.
And yes, I think wood for cold countries and, it tends to be plentiful, as there is so much forest around. Fly over Finland - all you see is forest and lakes.
The kitchens are generally small here, you are right. Many of them are also closed off. WE are lucky, we have a largish kitchen (by local standards) and a dining room attached, so we have the space for a large enough group. Last year, we had two full tables of people for Christmas :)
I think SA is similar to Australia in many ways culturally. Backgrounds are similar.
Plenty of wood in Finland to use, nothing more warming and presentable than light wood well treated which they do so well up in the North.
Gathering of the clans down South before many moved away, always entertaining, electric atmosphere with opinions being discussed, yup most enjoyable! Most definitely no formal affair.....
Why have they moved? (If you don't mind me asking)
Reverse Apartheid with B-BBEE rulings have made opportunities extremely tough for younger generation, many with University Degrees sitting unemployed.