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Surrounded by floating candy canes and a makeshift snowman made out of stowage bags, the astronauts aboard the International Space Station gathered together to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone back on Earth.
Expedition 72 commander Sunita “Suni” Williams, sporting a pair of festive reindeer antlers, joined fellow NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore, Don Pettit and Nick Hague to share some holiday cheer from their home away from home, 260 miles (420 kilometers) above the planet.
“It’s a great time of year up here,” Williams said in a video recorded on Monday (Dec. 23). “We get to spend it with all of our family up on the International Space Station. There’s seven of us up here, and so we’re going to get to enjoy company together.”
In addition to the four NASA astronauts, the station’s crew also includes Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner and Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russia’s federal space corporation Roscosmos.
“In Christmas time, the holiday season, it’s about spending time with friends and family and loved ones. This year, we’re going to be in orbit away from them,” said Hague, who is scheduled to return to Earth in March. “We’re not the only ones that are going to spend time away from our families over the holidays. There’s a huge team on the ground that’s going to support us in mission controls around the globe.”
“I want to thank them for the sacrifices that they’re making together. We work hand-in-hand with the ground every day and over the holidays, we keep this mission going,” he said.
The ground teams prepared a special holiday meal for the station’s crew, which Pettit gave a quick preview of in the video.
“Christmas is synonymous with food and feasting. And boy do we have a feast packaged up here,” he said.
In addition to the food and treats, the crew also have a small artificial Christmas tree and ornaments decorated with their families’ photos.
Hague, Pettit and Wilmore donned Santa caps for the message, with Wilmore, a Tennessee native, stretching his over a cowboy hat. Wilmore is also an ordained minister and devout Christian, leading him to remind everyone about the religious aspect of the holiday, as well.
“And, of course, Christmas is Christ. Hallelujah, a savior is born,” said Wilmore.
The astronauts closed out their message with a simple, “Merry Christmas!”
If you’re planning to look up at the night sky this holiday, our Christmas night sky guide has tips on how to see Venus and other planets. And if you’re more history minded, check out our Star of Bethelehem guide as astronomers debate what it may have been.