“Christmas is a togethery sort of holiday,” said Winnie the Pooh. To which his friend Piglet replied, “That’s my favorite kind.”
The spirit of togetherness and friendship rocked Lander University’s annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony as students joined staff, faculty, alumni and community friends for a night brightened by a Waning Gibbous moon and chilled by temperatures frosty enough for cups of hot cider.
With long days and nights of studying ahead of them as final exams begin in December, Lander students took a night off – at least for a few hours – to launch the “most wonderful time of the year.”
And what a festive night it was!
Activities covered the campus. From an inflatable Christmas Village in front of Chipley Hall to the Ferris wheel on the front lawn to a paint party inside the Commons and a giant snowglobe photo booth on the Plaza, Lander was teeming with energy as guests listened to holiday music and waited for the tree lighting, led by Lander President Richard Cosentino.
Demitrius Clark, a sophomore medical biology major from Dillon, said the night was about “friends and the enjoyment of Christmas and looking ahead to going home for the holidays.”
The same sentiment of friendship was echoed by a group taking pictures at the Selfie Santa Sleigh in the Christmas Village. Kamryn Gordon, a sophomore business management and marketing major from Chesterfield, said she was attending the event to be with her friends.
“I love engaging in optimistic activities,” she said. “Here, everyone gets into the spirit of the season. It’s joyous.”
Sydney Lafayette, a senior art and business major from Charleston, said “being with friends and being in good spirits is great … we’re making good memories.”
For Rebecca Osteen, of Greenville who graduates from Lander on Dec. 13, it was about enjoying the sights and sounds of the the holiday gathering. “We’ve been waiting all week for this. It’s a hoot.”
Although the ceremony is her last as a student, Osteen said. “I’ll miss being here, but I’ll come back.”
Keyasia Parks, a sophomore chemical engineering major from Greenwood, took advantage of Lander’s Paint Party to create a Grinch painting. Parks said the close-knit vibe she felt when she toured the campus let her know that “I could connect with my classmates and professors. This was a place where I could be involved.”
Lander provided a special holiday station for people to write holiday letters to members of the military. For one young writer, the chance to create a card was personal.
“Dear Uncle, I wish you were here but I am even more thankful that you’re working for our country.”
The tug-at-the-heart letter was a sweet reminder of Pooh’s message on the importance of “togethery” whether friends and family are near or far.