Starting my season in the Sub-antarctic winter, for a Queenslander like myself, was a huge challenge. From never wearing thermals before to having them apart of my daily attire. This has no doubt been my coldest Christmas yet, but thanks to acclimatising over the last 6 months, I could rock a t shirt and pants on this particularly warm 9-degree day. (I say this as I dart between the buildings as quick as I can to stand close to a heater).
Christmas day here on station was celebrated enthusiastically by some very sparkly elves, a jolly Santa and a stunning Mrs Claus. The mess was decked out with cheery (and some mischievous) decorations. A highlight of our day was the 'Secret Santa' gift exchange that lasted hours as people excitedly opened their presents – including but not limited to a display of someone’s secret stashes of used coffee cups, a regifted previously missing pair of jeans (that were not in fact the missing jeans and later returned without harm to the owner), and some very crafty and beautifully personalised presents.
All the foodies lived their best life as our chef, Annie, prepared tirelessly over many days (even weeks) so everyone could have something o the day to remind them of celebrations at home; whether it be through their favourite meal or a dessert. Everything was incredibly delicious, and I can safely say I was not the only one that ate like an unsupervised child at a birthday party.
Thankfully, with a few days break in between, we hit New Years Eve with the same quality of food and drinks, and so, so much cheese!!! An evening highlight was the 10:15pm weather balloon release which turned into a show event. A highly successful attempt to keep the residents up past their usual Macca Midnight of 8pm. Our wishes for the new year sent up into the stratosphere with the radiosonde. Surprisingly many made it past midnight and into the new year!
Rochelle Clayton, Met Observer
Extra note: All in all a wonderful celebration period which we will all remember for many years to come. So many smiling faces and lots of people putting in extra effort to make sure everyone had a great time - so important when we're away from our families at such an important time. We also had some well deserved down time to manage a bit of fatigue that sets in when we've been on station and without a significant break since our arrival in May. And we're now set and ready to work hard for a last few months on station. Cheers, Bec J, Station Leader
