As the winter season approaches, the days get shorter and the air starts to crispen up, and Elizabethtown College prepares for one of its most beloved traditions: the Annual Holiday Dinner and Tree-Lighting Ceremony. It aims to bring the campus as well as the community together as they shift away from any holiday celebration, such as Christmas and Hanukkah, and instead focus on winter and try to include as many people as possible.
In the year 2020, the tree-lighting was shifted to a more online format, and mugs were given through grab-and-go pickup and buffet style in the marketplace, and in 2021, there was a more typical version with in-person celebrations. This year, the Student Senate and Dining Services have striven to create an experience as close to what it was before the pandemic as well as add new elements along the way.
On Nov. 16, the College plans to first have a holiday dinner running from 4:30-7:30 p.m. in the Marketplace. While in years prior they required students to get timed tickets or pre-registration, students can now go to the marketplace at their desired time during the dinner service and get food for a meal swipe, a guest swipe or through paying at the door. Students may also take one large to-go container and one to-go beverage if they do not wish to eat at the Marketplace. Another way dining services is going all out for the celebration is the inclusion of a dessert reception at Baugher’s Student Center (BSC) starting at 5 p.m. Based on the wonderous offerings of years prior as well as at all of the major events where Dining Services uses their expertise, students should make sure to bring empty stomachs and be prepared for a full Marketplace bustling with activity.
A lot of the foundations behind the Tree-Lighting Ceremony are staying the same. They are including a welcome and thanks from the Traditions Chairperson Abigail Lindsay, jokes from a host, a holiday story from the College President, remarks from the mayor and a faculty speaker and student performances. However, they have also planned some additional aspects for those wanting to experience the celebration in a new light from years prior. One of those is the inclusion of “Frozen” Characters. Running from 7-8 p.m., there will be both hot chocolate and cider provided as well as a photo opportunity with Elsa and Olaf in the BSC. Then after that at 8 p.m., right in front of Zug Hall, there will be the lighting of the holiday tree and a menorah.
Following the ceremony, for students that registered for it, 380 students will get limited edition Tree-Lighting Ceremony mugs. Within the day that the link went out to register for them, all of them were gone, which displays the great excitement surrounding the experience.
Such a tradition would not be where it was without the members of the Senate that planned it. In a conversation with Lindsay, she had this insight to give on their process: “Me and Emma Sagar, who is the Vice Chair of the Committee, we started meeting with people in administration back in September to start planning. The past week or so we have been kicking it into high gear. It has been in the works for longer than people sometimes think. With Tree-Lighting, it has been up to the Traditions Committee to decide what to do, and it has been a very collaborative process.”
Truly, as seen through the excitement of those planning as well as the winter wonder around campus, this is not an event to miss, and students should try to at least experience some part of all the fun that will be occurring that day.
