Hundreds donned swimsuits and Santa hats today to celebrate a pink Christmas at Elbow Beach.

Crowds took part in the holiday tradition, even if only a portion were willing to tackle the frigid waters off South Shore.

Richard Furnas said when his family chose to fly to the island from Halifax for the Christmas holiday, he decided he wanted to give them a Bermudian experience.

“I did this with friends last year and all my folks loved the pictures, which I suspect may have sold them on coming down here this year,” he said.

“Thankfully there’s not been any rain this year.”

He added that while he had not yet taken a dip, he was hoping to get his family to join him in the water before the day was out.

“I told them the water is fine once you are in it, but I don’t think I have sold them on that quite yet,” Mr Furnas said.

Susan Moore said she was invited to the beach by friends for her first Christmas on the island.

“It’s a lovely tradition,” she said. “There are a lot of people on the island who might not be able to spend the holidays with their families, so it’s great to be able to go out and get into the festive spirit.”

Aaron Lambert said he was surprised by the number of people at the beach, but said the turnout only made the atmosphere more festive.

“It’s great to see the kids kicking the ball around and playing in the sand, parents toasting with champagne and everyone really just having a good time,” he said.

“There’s a real community spirit here. Between that and watching the yule log on TV, this seems like the better choice.”

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