22/12/2025
‘CONJURING UP FESTIVE SPIRIT’
In the midst of a desperate struggle to survive the harsh and unforgiving Antarctic conditions during Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917, there was no sense of the ‘Boss’ or his men succumbing to defeatism. When the time came, this indomitable group conjured up the necessary festive spirit despite the circumstances.
In December 1914, Endurance lay beset in the Weddell Sea pack ice, though the full consequences were not yet clear. Christmas dinner was held at midnight on December 22nd and was notably elaborate. The meal began with whitebait and turtle, followed by jugged hare, mince pies and Christmas pudding. The men toasted one another with stout and rum, taking warmth and comfort as the ice outside tightened its grip on the ship.
By the following Christmas, their fortunes had changed. Endurance had sunk, and they were camped on the Weddell Sea ice that had been the expedition’s undoing. The party would need to haul the boats by hand to open water, with the most favourable conditions expected on the night of December 23rd. December 25th could not be spared as a day of rest, so Christmas was again observed early, on December 22nd.
Shackleton recorded the occasion in his journal: “December 22 was therefore kept as Christmas Day, and most of our small remaining stock of luxuries was consumed at the Christmas feast… for the last time for eight months we had a really good meal.”
The meal served a practical purpose, reducing weight for the journey ahead, but it also reinforced morale at a critical moment. Such gestures reflected Shackleton’s leadership and his understanding of the importance of maintaining spirit and cohesion under extreme conditions.
These moments, modest in scale but significant in effect, remain central to the story of the expedition and help explain why the endurance, discipline and humanity shown by Sir Ernest and his men continue to be regarded as among the most remarkable in the history of exploration.
Photo: Midwinter Feast on the Endurance, June 1915, and hauling the James Caird, by Frank Hurley.
