Christmas in August (Yellowstone) facts for kids
Christmas in August (once called "Savage Christmas") is a fun yearly tradition in Yellowstone National Park. During this celebration, people decorate Christmas trees, sing Christmas carols, and exchange gifts. It's a unique way to enjoy the holiday spirit in the middle of summer!
Contents
The Story of Christmas in August
A Blizzard Legend
A popular story says that long ago, in the early 1900s, a huge snowstorm trapped visitors at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone. Instead of being upset about the snow, the guests decided to celebrate Christmas. They thought it looked just like Christmas outside! Some versions of the story say this happened in 1939, while others say it was in the 1920s.
Checking the Facts
However, there are no official records of a big snowstorm ever hitting Yellowstone around August 25th. In fact, between 1904 and 1941, the most snow Yellowstone ever got in August was less than two inches. Older park employees also say that this celebration didn't happen before the 1930s. So, the blizzard story is likely a legend!
How the Tradition Really Began
Yellowstone's Information Specialist, Leslie Quinn, has some ideas about how "Christmas in August" truly started. She thinks it came from three main things:
- Christmas in July: In the 1930s, celebrating "Christmas in July" was popular in the Rocky Mountains.
- Park Service Birthday: August 25th is the anniversary of the National Park Service.
- Savage Days: There was an older celebration in the park called "Savage Days."
Gene Quaw, a park employee from the 1920s and 1930s, said there was no "Christmas in August" back then. But he did remember a small "Christmas in July" and an employee-only party called "Savage Days." During "Savage Days," a park employee would even dress up as Santa Claus!
What Were Savage Days?
In 1947, park records mentioned that "O. F. Savages" held a yearly celebration on July 25th. The Yellowstone's Weekly News from August 1, 1947, explained that this "Savage Day" had nothing to do with Christmas. It was a big party for employees of the park's shops and hotels (called "concessionaires"). They had a parade with floats and a large costume ball in the evening.
By 1953, "Savage Days" had become a park-wide event. It even started to affect the quality of service for visitors because so many employees were busy celebrating.
From Savage Days to Savage Christmas
The year 1953 was the last time "Savage Days" was celebrated in Yellowstone. Starting in 1954, the park's concessionaires decided to combine "Savage Days" with the smaller "Christmas in July" celebration.
Trevor Povah, a leader at Hamilton Stores (one of the park's concessionaires), says they even made up the story of the blizzard at the Old Faithful Inn. They did this to create a new celebration called "Savage Christmas." The first mentions of "Savage Christmas" appeared in publications in 1955.
From 1954 to 1959, the celebration happened on either July 25th or August 25th. But by 1959, August 25th became the permanent date. Leslie Quinn thinks there were two reasons for this:
- End of Tourist Season: Yellowstone's tourist season usually ends in August. Celebrating Christmas on August 25th made it a fun way to finish the season.
- The Choir's Influence: Warren Ost, a bellhop at the Old Faithful Inn, started a choir called A Christian Ministry in the National Parks (ACMNP). This choir began performing on August 7, 1949. Soon, they were performing Handel's famous Messiah in different parts of the park. It made sense to have the Christmas celebration happen around the same time as these big concerts.
So, "Christmas in August" became a more formal and serious celebration, partly thanks to the arrival of the ACMNP choir.
