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Christmas at the Poles: emotions, food, and festivities on polar expeditions, 1818–1912

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2016

Shane McCorristine  and
Jane S.P. Mocellin
Shane McCorristine
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EN (sm877@cam.ac.uk)
Jane S.P. Mocellin
Affiliation:
Rue Parc Jean Monnet 185, Saint Genis Pouilly, 01630France
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Abstract

In this article we survey descriptions of Christmas celebrations contained in the diaries and narratives of polar explorers (mostly British) from 1818 to 1912. We find that Christmas was a time almost universally associated with the display of positive emotions, although this was in the context of increased amounts of stress associated with the challenges of over-wintering at high latitudes. Firstly, we argue that Christmas was crucial to the well-being of expedition participants because it opened emotional channels that enabled them to cope with stress. Secondly, we argue that Christmas revealed a play space in which certain types of normally deviant behaviour were welcomed. Thirdly, we argue that Christmas was a major nutritional event for over-wintering crew members, satisfying a need for calories that was rarely met in the everyday rations.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 52 , Issue 5 , September 2016 , pp. 562 - 577
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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