Wet weather failed to dampen spirits on Elbow Beach today as hundreds gathered to celebrate Christmas.

While the rain did deter some, others chose to wait it out on the sand with soggy Santa hats and festive sweaters.

Some at the South Shore spot decided to brave the waters.

Donna Sweet said the weather did not put her off as she had intended to take a dip even if the rain lasted longer than she would have liked.

“I had planned on getting wet this morning but I had really hoped it would be from swimming rather than all of this,” she said.

“It's a bit colder than I would have liked but you can see the blue sky on the horizon. It’s just a matter of time.”

Kate Kayaian said that despite the less-than-ideal conditions, the atmosphere on the beach was upbeat.

“When we arrived it had just started and that was about 20 minutes ago,” she said.

“Even with the rain, it’s festive as always. There’s carollers next to us serenading us, there is champagne flowing, swimmers in the water, puppies running around.”

When Alan Clarke and his friends arrived, people were leaving in the rain and he thought the beach would be empty.

“I am actually a bit surprised how many people have stuck it out,” he said. “It’s not exactly the Instagram Christmas moment yet but we are still having fun.

“There’s great company, people are enjoying themselves.

“If we were a few hundred miles north, it would be snowing, so it’s really an issue of geography.”

David Norman, who is celebrating his last Christmas in Bermuda after 19 years on the island, joked that those who remained on the beach had shown their “Dunkirk spirit”.

He said: “You have got to make the most of it, haven’t you? Get a bit of the old champers.”