Christmas in August

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. Origin According to the local legend, in the early part of the 20th century a freak blizzard stranded visitors and their stagecoach at the Old Faithful Inn. Rather than lament the fact that they were snowbound in a hotel, the guests decided to celebrate Christmas, since it looked like Christmas outside. Some stories place this blizzard as happening "shortly after the turn of the [20th] century" while others specify the blizzard occurred in 1939 and some place it in the 1920s. Some stories date the blizzard to the 19th century, prior to the creation of the Old Faithful Inn. There is no historical record recording that a blizzard ever hit Yellowstone on or around August 25 of any given year. In fact, between 1904 and 1941, the most snow that Yellowstone received on any given day in August was 1.8 inches on August 18, 1932. Interviews with older employees indicate that the celebration was not held prior to the 1930s. Historical origin While the actual origins to the Christmas in August story are unknown, Yellowstone's Information Specialist Leslie Quinn speculates that the origins are based upon three factors. First, during the 1930s the celebration of Christmas in July was a popular celebration in the Rocky Mountains. Second, August 25th is the anniversary of the National Park Service. Third, there was an existing celebration in the park known as "Savage Days." Quinn discovered a 1966 article published by the Park's Recreation department titled, ""Christmas Comes Twice a Year—Once At Home and Once Up Here." In the article, Gene "Mr. Yellowstone Music" Quaw, indicated that there was no Christmas in August celebration while he worked in Yellowstone during the 1920s and 1930s. According to Quaw, there was a small Christmas in July celebration and that the employees would have an employee-only celebration called "Savage Days" wherein a park employee would dress as Santa Claus.