Sunday, July 29, 2001

Christmas in July

There is a conspicuous dearth of American and Antarctican holidays calling for lavish celebration between the 4th of July and Halloween. Poleys could not let the station's overabundance of decorations sit around until October. So we have adopted a peculiar holiday, seemingly observed only at summer camps and remote locales, known as 'Christmas in July.' As if we didn't have enough of the holly and jolly of Yuletide fanfare just seven months ago, yesterday we again took out all of the ornamentation that had been packed away on top of the Biomed building since Christmas. It was really just an excuse for another candlelight dinner.

There was no 'Race Around the World' or gingerbread house party. We did bake a few Christmas cookies and a plethora of pies the night before, but it was primarily a pleasant Saturday meal with the galley decked out again in Christmas decor. Santa Claus even came this time handing out presents, or in some cases lumps of coal.

"Froze 'n Harmony" could not resist the temptation to perform a reunion concert; after all, Christmas carols were the first songs we sang together. But after seven months, most of the lyrics had long been forgotten.

The feast was yet again delicious and fellowship warm and merry. It did seem like Christmas. It was certainly cold enough, with temperatures hovering around -95°F (-77°C). And a white Christmas too, if only so by the light of the rising pale moon. That must be a rarity for Christmas in July.

In many ways, the holiday felt like a nauseating surfeit of Christmas -- a gluttonous, errant celebration for the sake of celebrating. On the other hand, last Christmas here was an incredible time and our late-July dinner was a wonderful way to reminisce on the matchless flurry of jollity that defines Christmastime in South Pole City.