Today we celebrated one of the most beloved Merri-Mac traditions – Christmas in July! On this special day, campers got to sleep an hour later and woke up to the sounds of Christmas music coming from Santa’s pickup truck. Santa Claus and his elves started at the youngest Tweedle cabin and worked their way up to Sunnyside, the oldest cabin, delivering steaming hot chocolate and delicious Krispy Kreme doughnuts. It’s a favorite Merri-Mac tradition and a perfect way to start the day.
The Christmas spirit continued throughout the morning. After breakfast, campers attended Chapel, where we sang “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “The First Noel,” and “Silent Night.” Although December is several months away, it was a joyful celebration of the birth of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas.
Today’s weather was perfect and with the sun shining bright in the mountains, we had some fun activities in store. Canoeing campers practiced their T-rescues, while diving girls worked on their swan dives. At the climbing tower, girls learned to tie knots to earn their Silver Bars, while others practiced on the climbing wall, specifically the route lover. In cooking class, campers made “Christmas Spaghetti” with red marinara sauce and green pesto sauce. Each camper picked which one they wanted, and some picked both!
Today, the best kayakers left for Camp Cup, the competition where the top teams from summer camps across North Carolina compete. We wish our campers good luck and hope they return victorious!

Tonight’s dinner was a camp favorite: Breakfast for Dinner with chicken and waffles. Afterward, counselors scattered around camp for a game of Counselor Hunt, one of the most exciting evening activities of the summer. Counselors hid all over camp while campers searched for as many as they could find to earn points. At the end of the game, every counselor s who was found took a trip into the lake, and campers pushed each counselor into the lake. The tribe with the most points came out on top. Of course, the counselors who stayed hidden all night might say they were the real winners!

Christmas in July was a fantastic, fun-filled day at Merri-Mac, and we loved celebrating together. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store!

From this haven,

Helen G

Sundrop

Red Wolf