Christmas Island - which lies about 2, 600km (1, 600 miles) from Australia but only 300km south of Indonesia - is often targeted because it is the closest piece of Australian territory to Indonesia.
Swimmers on Coney Island, identical twins at a Christmas party for twins and triplets, ageing fur-coated women on buses or smoking at diner counters were caught at awkward moments, all revealing more about themselves than they might wish.
Christmas Island's 1, 400 residents are outnumbered by more than 2, 700 asylum-seekers housed in a centre for boat people who have been intercepted on their way to Australia.