Christmas Among the Stars: How Astronauts Celebrate Christmas on the ISS

Christmas is a magical time celebrated worldwide, bringing loved ones together to share the warmth and joy of the season. But for astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Christmas is celebrated thousands of miles away from home, in the vast expanse of space. How do they celebrate it?

The festive season officially kicks off with Thanksgiving, followed by the excitement of Black Friday. It’s the time for decking the halls, hunting for the perfect gifts, and planning holiday gatherings. In a previous article, we explored how astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving on the ISS. Now, let’s dive into how they bring the holiday spirit to space and make Christmas just as special, even miles above Earth.

Who Was the First to Celebrate Christmas in Space?

The first people to spend Christmas in space were astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr, and William A. Anders, Apollo 8 crew members. They celebrated the holiday while circling the Moon in December 1968. On Christmas Eve, they took turns reading from the Bible’s Book of Genesis as they broadcasted from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. An estimated one billion people in 64 countries watched this cosmic Christmas Eve broadcast. 

On Christmas day, the crew of Apollo 8 had a surprise when they found a real turkey and stuffing, three miniature bottles of brandy, and presents from their beloved ones. The astronauts sent back Christmas greetings to Earth, closing with a special message, “good night, good luck, a merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good earth”.

The next celebration of Christmas in space was in 1973 onboard Skylab orbital station. Astronauts Gerald Carr, William Pogue, and Edward Gibson were trying to get into the Christmas mood, made a Christmas tree out of leftover food cans, used colored decals as decorations, and topped it with a cardboard cutout in the shape of a comet. 

Despite the holiday cheer, work didn’t stop for the astronauts. On Christmas Day, two Skylab crew members spent an exhausting seven hours conducting a spacewalk. After completing their mission, they returned to the station to enjoy a well-deserved Christmas dinner with fruitcake for dessert, connect with their families, and open their presents.

What’s On the Christmas Menu?

Food is an essential part of a celebration, even in space. Planning holiday meals on Earth may be a nightmare. Can you imagine creating a holiday menu for astronauts on the International Space Station? No doubt, it’s a challenge that requires a huge effort from a team of scientists. 

NASA’s Space Food Systems Laboratory (SFSL) is responsible for preparing and packaging meals for astronauts aboard the space station. This task goes beyond ensuring food survives the journey – it also involves solving the unique challenges of dining in microgravity. For example, traditional Christmas cookies, which produce crumbs, pose a hazard to the sensitive equipment on the International Space Station (ISS). To address this, cookies provided to the crew are designed to be small enough to eat in a single bite.

Most space foods also need to be shelf-stable, safe to eat months after delivery, so the astronauts’ meals are kept in special dehydrated packaging and tins. Using food and drinks that are rehydratable significantly reduces the weight of the shuttle and, consequently, saves on fuel consumption during lift-off.

Thanks to the hard work of NASA scientists, astronauts on the ISS can enjoy a Christmas dinner with ease. All they need to do is rehydrate the food and heat it using a special onboard heater.

The usual space holiday menu is quite similar to ours: roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, beans, and cranapple dessert. For example, the festive menu in 2021 included:

• roasted turkey
• ham
• smoked seafood
• macaroni and cheese
• spicy green beans
• mushrooms
• cornbread dressing
• cranberry-apple dessert
• cherry-blueberry cobbler
• fruit cake

Sounds not bad, doesn’t it?

Astronauts can also request festive food according to their preferences. In 2021, for instance, the European Space Agency’s Thomas Pesquet shared his French Christmas dinner of ox tongue, chicken supreme with morels and gingerbread with his fellow astronauts.

Very often there are some special treats. In 2015, Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal teamed up with the UK Space Agency, the ESA and NASA to design meals for British astronaut Tim Peake, which included traditional Christmas pudding. 

And what about alcohol? Astronauts can’t celebrate with a bottle of sparkling wine or any other alcohol, as it’s considered by NASA to be a huge safety hazard.

Christmas Traditions On the ISS

The arrival of Expedition 1 crew members – William M. Shepherd of NASA, along with Yuri P. Gidzenko and Sergei K. Krikalev of Roscosmos – on the International Space Station on 2 November 2000, marked the start of a permanent human presence in space. They were also the first to celebrate Christmas aboard the ISS, establishing a tradition that continues to this day.

Despite the unique conditions of life in orbit, astronauts are trying to make Christmas special, decorating the space station and a small artificial Christmas tree for the holidays. Usually, they use ordinary plastic toys and tinsel for this purpose. 

Typically (but not all the time), astronauts have a day off on Christmas, giving them the chance to spend quality time with their crewmates on the ISS. Together, they share a traditional holiday meal, exchange presents, and connect with their families and friends back on Earth.

To embrace the festive spirit, astronauts also enjoy dressing up for the occasion. Santa hats and white beards are particular favourites, adding a touch of cheer to their celebrations in space. Take a look at this fun video, published by NASA, to feel that cosmic Christmas spirit on the International Space Station.

Christmas Celebrations on the ISS in Photos

Let’s enjoy some photos of Christmas in space celebrations over the years.

Expedition 26 crewmembers in sleeping quarters. Three of the six crew members aboard the International Space Station peek out of their sleeping quarters on Christmas morning to view the station’s decorations and gifts.

Chris Hadfield, a long-time member of an astronaut band called Max Q, later joined with the other five Expedition 34 crew members in a more spacious location to provide an assortment of Christmas carols for the public.

The tradition of celebrating Christmas in space began 56 years ago, in 1968. Since then, astronauts have been making an effort to capture the magic of the season, even while far from their families and friends, gazing down upon their beloved planet from above.