Calendars
Pet calendars for the southern hemisphere
If you have ever bought a calendar with snow on July, this is the guide for you.
4 min readUpdated
Why do most pet calendars have the seasons the wrong way round?
Because they are designed for the northern hemisphere and sold everywhere unchanged. January gets snow, April gets blossom, July gets sunshine and December gets a winter scene. In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa that is backwards for six months of the year.
It is a small thing that becomes annoying every time you look at the wall. A December page with a snow scene, hung in a room where it is thirty degrees outside, stops reading as festive and starts reading as an oversight.
The reason it persists is that fixing it means producing two complete sets of artwork rather than one, and most sellers do not think it is worth it.
What should a southern hemisphere calendar look like?
January and February should be high summer. April and May should be autumn. June and July should be winter. October and November should be spring. December should be warm, not snowbound.
| Month | Northern hemisphere | Southern hemisphere |
|---|---|---|
| January | Deep winter | Peak summer |
| April | Spring blossom | Autumn colour |
| July | High summer | Mid winter |
| October | Autumn leaves | Spring growth |
| December | Snow and frost | Warm and bright |
Christmas is the page where it shows most. A southern hemisphere December should feel like a warm one, because that is the December the person hanging it will actually be living through.
How does my pet year handle this?
We produce two complete sets of seasonal artwork and serve the right one automatically based on where you are. If you order from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, you get southern hemisphere scenes without having to ask or change a setting.
In Australia and New Zealand you will also see prices in your own currency, and the printed calendar sizes offered are the local ones, A4 and A3, rather than US paper sizes.
Check it on the preview
The free preview shows the artwork you will actually receive. If the seasons look right there, they will be right in the finished calendar.
Pet calendars
Your seasons, the right way round
The southern set is served automatically, and the preview shows you which one you are getting.
Make a calendarWhich countries get southern hemisphere scenes?
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other countries below the equator. If you are ordering as a gift for someone in a different hemisphere from you, the calendar follows the location it is ordered from, so order while you are thinking of the recipient.
That last point catches people out. If you live in the UK and you are sending a calendar to family in Melbourne, the artwork will follow your location rather than theirs. Get in touch before you order and we will make sure the right set is used.
Common questions
Can I ask for southern hemisphere artwork if I am ordering from elsewhere?
Yes. Contact us before you order and we will set it up. It is a common request for gifts sent between hemispheres and it is not a problem to arrange.
Do you ship printed calendars to Australia and New Zealand?
Yes, with shipping included, in A4 and A3 sizes. South Africa is digital only for now. The digital calendar is available worldwide regardless of where we ship.
Does the calendar start in January?
It does not have to. There is a rolling option that starts from a recent month instead, with the exact range shown at checkout, which is useful if you are buying partway through the year.