In the southern hemisphere, December is summer. The weather is colder, the ice is more dangerous, and the seas are rougher in July as that represents the actual winter.

Youve got it wrong.

It doesnt make TOO much difference at the poles but the seasons are reversed depending on the hemisphere. It may be winter now in December in the Northern Hemisphere but it is summer in the Southern. So all the things you hear about in the Arctic summer such as 23 hours of sunlight happen in December and January in Antarctica.