ANSMET’s quarantine Christmas dinner (in the Southern Exposure bar).  Please note the careful use of antibacterial elixirs.

Hi everyone,

The field team didn’t send a detailed post for today,  but they did send me best wishes for Christmas Eve,  and a few photos.  They’re obeying a self-imposed COVID quarantine because of their (hopefully) imminent flight to the field, and staying away from the official McMurdo Christmas party.

Here’s hoping Santa brings them the flights they want starting Monday their time.  They’ve all been very good;  I’ve gotten several unprompted emails from colleagues in McMurdo (associated with other projects) who felt compelled to tell me what an outstandingly upbeat team they are.  I feel like a proud parent/uncle/ grandpa……  whatever I am.

Posing for the official photo with Santa. It’s not Macy’s, but it’ll do.

Here’s another bit of Christmas cheer for you. A few nights ago my family and I went to the Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concert.  It was awesome, of course, and partway through the program Santa himself showed up to answer questions from the audience.   One of his answers resolved a great mystery that has puzzled many of us associated with ANSMET for decades (and no, I am not to blame..)

“Dear Santa,  why do you use the North Pole as your base instead of the South Pole”?

Santa replied,  “It’s the penguins.  At the North Pole I’ve got this great labor force,  and the penguins just aren’t the greatest workers.  Always strutting around in their tuxedos claiming they’re already busy,  snobbily complaining about the quality of the fish and the tools and the lattés and even worse,  they’re biters.  Elves aren’t biters”.

Stick with me, everybody-  I’ll gift you the answers to all your most pressing Antarctic questions.

-Ralph,  wishing you all a peaceful, fulfilling Christmas Eve.