Midwinter (the June Solstice) is big holiday in Antarctica. It is celebrated by all of the stations on the Ice, and it marks the beginning of the sun's return to the south. For most stations it marks the middle of the period without the sun, for others on the coast it may be the shortest day of the year. For us at Pole it is midnight in a year-long day. We received midwinter greetings from around the world, which you can read here. We celebrated the holiday on Saturday, 23 June. That Saturday was a day off (usually Sunday is the only day off during the week), and we had a big, formal dinner, followed by a party with live music by our local band. Volunteers cooked a prime rib and turkey dinner, and we dressed up the galley for the event.