Astronauts may be hundreds of miles above Earth, but that doesn’t stop them from celebrating holidays like the rest of us.
In 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts read verses from the Book of Genesis and broadcasted a video of the lunar surface to approximately one billion viewers. This marked the beginning of the strange tradition of celebrating Christmas in space.
Christmas is not the only holiday that has been celebrated. Due to the diversity of the astronauts, Hanukkah has also been celebrated by spinning dreidels endlessly in zero gravity and creating menorahs of felt.
This year, Christmas was celebrated on the I.S.S. (International Space Station) by creating a makeshift reindeer out of spare stowage bags and brown industrial clips. Additionally, there was a unique cookie decorating contest where astronauts were able to create 3D designs thanks to the lack of gravity. “It opened up a whole new dimension, quite literally, with layer upon layer of icing,” said Nick Hague, an astronaut on the station.
The astronauts aboard the I.S.S. are joined by Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, two NASA astronauts. Both were originally supposed to take a test flight on the Boeing’s Starliner, a commercial spaceship, by going to the I.S.S. then coming back to Earth.
Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, NASA decided to leave the two astronauts in the I.S.S. until another spaceship comes to take them back. Because of this, they spent Christmas together with the other astronauts there.
For dinner, the astronauts ate special prepackaged foods such as turkey, ham, green beans, and casseroles. In a recent resupply mission, foods such as quail, crab, and lobster were also sent to the I.S.S.
The astronauts called family members and recorded a holiday message together for everyone on Earth. This has made them a part of the celebration, even when they are far from home. Mr. Hague said, “We want to send our heartfelt Merry Christmas, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday.”