Day 5 · December 24, 2027 · The South Atlantic
In Argentina, Christmas Eve is the whole holiday. And it happens in summer.
You are at sea on December 24, somewhere off the coast of Patagonia, sailing south.
The country you just left is getting ready for its biggest night of the year.
Nochebuena, Christmas Eve in Argentina
Argentines call Christmas Eve Nochebuena. December 25 is the quiet day. December 24 is the event.
Families arrive around nine in the evening. Dinner starts closer to eleven. Because it is summer and the heat is real, much of the food comes out cold.
Vitel toné is on nearly every table: thin slices of cold veal under a creamy tuna and caper sauce. Beside it, potato salad, cold cuts, and an asado going on the grill anyway, because this is Argentina.
At midnight everyone stands and toasts with sidra (cider) or sparkling wine. Then they cut the pan dulce, the Argentine version of Italian panettone, full of candied fruit and nuts.
Then the fireworks start. Whole neighborhoods launch them from rooftops at once.
Children in Buenos Aires leave their shoes by the door for Papá Noel. He arrives on a night when the weather can hover at eighty degrees Fahrenheit.
Christmas Eve on the ship
The crew decorates the ship. There is music. There is a Christmas dinner, at a table with people you met four days ago.
Outside the windows there is open ocean in every direction, and the light stays until after nine.
Onboard with Taylor
Join Taylor for informative and invigorating learning and discussion about the geology, geography, history, and peoples of the areas we’re sailing through.
Next: Christmas Day at sea
Christmas Day at sea, still heading south.
The day after that, the ship reaches Punta Arenas, and the whole feel of the voyage changes.
