By: Vivian Pham, Staff Writer
Christmas tree lighting is an established event at Regis University. Despite the fact that it’s only mid-November, the Christmas atmosphere is everywhere on campus. Since students are going to leave campus after finals to celebrate Christmas with their family and won’t be back until after New Year, Regis decided to host a Christmas event that gathers people around and wish each other the best for the upcoming holiday season.
It’s only 5 in the afternoon, and the sky has started to darken in a blink of an eye. The quad quickly filled up with students, faculty members, and even families with small children from the area. Everyone seemed excited about the event. The air was filled with laughter and chatter. The children played around, giggling and chasing each other. All created a perfect picture of a holiday season.
The event officially started at 5:15 PM when Fr. Fitzgibbons began his speech. The speech ended shortly, followed by the most important and awaited part of the event: lighting the Christmas tree. Provost Karen Riley decided to give the honor to the youngest among the crowd, the little children, to light up the Christmas tree as a sign of the beginning of the Christmas season. The moment the tree was lit up, everyone was in awe for a split second, but soon bursted into joy and rejoice. It was truly a magical night full of joyfulness and happiness.
After the lighting, people gathered around and sang some Christmas carols to bring back the Christmas spirit that has been hiding away for a year. A long line of people waiting to be served hot beverages and waffles quickly formed right after the lighting event. They even put up an ice skating area in the Parking Lot next to the Student Center.
This event has so far been the most memorable on-campus experience. May peace and joy be with you all this holiday season and I hope you’ll have a good time with family and friends. Merry Christmas everyone!