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Christmas morning dawned beautiful and sunny, a nice break from the recent storms. Campers slumbered peacefully for an extra hour, with visions of sugar plums (or more likely, s’more pockets) dancing in their heads. As soon as they opened their eyes, however, their feet hit the ground and they raced to wait at the doors of their cabins. They listened intently for the rumble of the truck that carried their breakfast of doughnuts and hot chocolate. When they finally heard the faint strains of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” blazing from the truck, they dashed out of their doors faster than Santa’s famous reindeer.

After treating their hard-working counselors to breakfast in bed, the girls enjoyed free time before chapel. At chapel, we sang Christmas carols and recounted the story of Zacchaeus meeting Jesus. The girls headed off to their classes and what fun they had that July Christmas morning! Horses waited impatiently to trot around the ring carrying excited campers. The soccer and lacrosse classes were sweating but smiling in the warm sun on Macky’s Green.  In the Enchanted Barn, DIY Crafts girls transformed a rainbow of tissue paper into gorgeous flowers and finished up homemade postcards. Sunnysiders sat in a big circle and made paper suns, to write notes on and hand out to those people at camp who are special to them. Downstairs, the pottery classes were glazing their dry creations in an array of colors, from green to purple.

Up at beautiful Lake Doris, the swimming and diving classes enjoyed free swim, on the blob and diving boards. Kayakers worked hard to perfect their rolls and rescues. At the traverse wall on the side of the Mike, climbers were tying complicated knots and sporting each other on the wall. Inside the Mike, another group of climbers learned some rappelling techniques. Nearby, the gymnastics classes bounced and flipped on the trampoline, and performed routines on the uneven bars. Campers at riflery and guitar were hard at work on bars. In drama, the girls performed improvised skits and rifled through bins of costumes to find the perfect one.

Back down the hill, fitness and basketball classes were cooling off in the shade after a tough class, before lunch. All of the campers headed down the hill together to Tucker Inn for a Christmas Feast. Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, stuffing, and rolls loaded the tables. The campers who had made Christmas pasta in cooking class regretted eating so much! Lunch was finished off with delicious lemon bars, a real treat.

After practicing for Friendship Circle on Closing Day, the girls went back to their cabins for a well-deserved Christmas nap. After rest time, the bell rang and campers sprinted to Trade Post to get their candy and soda. For the next half hour, the girls talked, laughed, and played some wicked games of tetherball. Some went to activities to work on bars during this free time, so dedicated. Then they headed off again for the afternoon round of amazing activities. Yoga class stretched in the breezy chapel as clouds rolled in. The lake was again full of happy campers, swimming and kayaking. Lifeguards helped campers learn how to flip off of the diving boards with enthusiasm. Volleyball class kicked up the sand as they batted the ball back and forth with dizzying speeds. Knitting class rocked in rocking chairs on the Patti-o and laughed as they knitted their colorful creations.

After a too-short time in classes, the girls left for a delicious meal of breakfast-for-dinner. After dinner, all of Merri-Mac hiked to the chapel for Christmas Vespers, a wonderful night of funny skits, good music, and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. After Vespers, each cabin separated to spend time together on one of their last nights at camp for second session. It’s a bittersweet night for everyone, but mostly sweet, with leftover Christmas candy from stockings filling everyone’s tummies on their way to bed.

 

Emily Amos

Rainbow Counselor