One day before Christmas

This day has been quite regular to every other day over the Atlantic with watches and lessons. There has been one difference though, the excitement before Christmas! Everyone has been preparing for tomorrows happenings. People have been practicing for the Donald Duck theater, done last-minute present wrappings, gingerbread baking, decorating and more.

The gingerbread baking was something we did at the evening/ night watch. From the beginning it wasn´t meant that we should bake gingerbreads just because our chef thought it would be chaos, but as a surprise we got to bake some at the night before Christmas. In pairs of three, we went in to the kitchen and got a piece of dough to bake with, or more correctly, eat up... In the kitchen there was five different gingerbread-cutters to use. All of them was a sort of forest-animal. If you wanted to, you could also cut your own pattern with a knife.

It´s hard to believe that it´s Christmas eve tomorrow. The weather is hot and the sun is shining bright through the tiny, white clouds up in the sky. If no one would have told me that it was Christmas, I would believe that it was mid-summer because of the weather. It´s a big difference from the weather we are used to have in Sweden at the winter season with snow/rain and minus degrees.

Now we are all very prepared and excited for tomorrow’s happenings! Hopefully Santa Clause finds us here in the middle of the sea.

Wilma Olander, amidships