Univ. commences Christmas festivities on campus

Allison Sayia

It is everyone’s favorite time of year at the University!  There are several events going on around campus to get everyone in the holiday spirit.

On Dec.  1, the University held the Tree Lighting Celebration. The festivities began at 4:30 p.m. The center of campus was filled with Christmas cheer. There were carriage rides around campus, pictures inside a blow-up igloo and Christmas cookies and hot chocolate for everyone. The tree was officially lit at 5:30, and the area around the Oreo was filled with students, faculty, community members and kids. The nativity set was shown for everyone to see, and there were decorative Christmas lights all around campus. Perhaps everyone’s favorite Christmas piece was the light-up ice sculpture in the shape of a “V.” 

On Thursday, Dec.  8, Villanova Dining hosts the End of the Semester Steakhouse Dinner. All three dining halls St. Mary’s, Donahue and Dougherty, will participate in this popular event. It starts at 4:15 p.m. and ends at 7:30. The dinner consists of steak and lobster, along with other sides, and a huge selection of holiday desserts. Be sure to get there early because the lines become quite long and the dining halls fill up quickly. 

Here at the University, the students are taught that there is more to Christmas than receiving gifts. Therefore, a popular tradition on campus is an event called “Spread the Spirit.” The event is a Christmas party for the North Light Community Center’s children, which will be held on Sunday, Dec. 10 from 1:30-4:00 p.m. in the Villanova Room. Around 200 children and adults are expected to attend this fun-filled, festive event. They are brought to campus by bus for the party. The North Light Community Center has asked if the Villanova community could “adopt” 30 families this year to provide gifts and food to make their holiday season joyous. In addition, we will collect toys for the children from the Church of New Hope and Faith in North Philadelphia. It is amazing to see the community we have at the University come together to help those who are suffering in our own backyard. 

Furthermore, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee decided to have all varsity sports participate in the Adopt-A-Child program in order to get in the holiday spirit and help children whose families are less fortunate. For example, the varsity field hockey team is paired with two  girls ages four and five. They are collecting money from each member of the team to provide gifts for the girls this holiday season. Overall, it is a great reminder of how fortunate many students are and a great opportunity for them to give back to the community.  

The University provides students many ways to get excited for Christmas and have some fun during finals. The end of the fall semester brings a lot of stress, but also excitement as students get a long winter break to relax and rejuvenate. As you start planning your last week here, remember to keep in mind all the festive Christmas events Villanova has!