We’ve all heard of “Christmas in July” but did you know that there are people who actually celebrate Christmas in the middle of Summer? That’s right, Christmas in August (formerly known as “Savage Christmas”) is an annual tradition in Yellowstone National Park.
The celebration includes decorating Christmas trees, singing Christmas carols, and gift exchanges. The celebration marks the end of the peak season in the national park.
How it All Started
No one really knows how this beautiful tradition started but some relate it to a freak blizzard that happened in August sometime between the late 19th century and early 20th century, leaving visitors stranded at the Old Faithful Inn inside the national park. The guests opted to make the best of this strange situation and rather than regretting being stranded they decided to celebrate Christmas.
Savage Days
What we do know for sure is that “Savage Days” was a celbration in the park that took place from at least 1947 in July. The tradition probably came from the workers who used to celebrate Christmas twice, once with their families back home, and another time at the employee housing in the summer, with their park “family”. Since 1953, the celebrations were moved to August and became “Savage Christmas”.
