Well, let me tell you, the funnest portion of the annual Christmas dinner is when we all sing the Twelve days of Christmas (and I doubt that has been eliminated).
All 4400 cadets are served dinner at the same time (family style). The dining hall is made of 6 massive halls (all connected) that radiate from a central tower (the poop deck). Each spoke seats about 700 cadets. Each spoke is divided in half, so there are 12 sections and each section of 350 sings one of the days of Christmas. Ambitious plebes stand on the table tops to sing.
It is great fun. Another semester down. Exams over. One of the few breaks in the grueling schedule of a cadet. Home to family and friends who appreciate the hard life cadets have chosen.
Thank you for the wonderful recollection of an event that only a tiny fraction of people will ever get to experience. A great big thank you for your service to our country.
The neighbor just stopped by. He asked me what I was doing. I said I was answering a former West Point cadet in a forum online. Seems that the neighbor took wedding pictures for a living at the WP chapel, and his ex wife’s uncle was the band director. Now that is one hell of a coincidence!
Merry Christmas soldier!!! ;o)