Students compete in the 12 Days of Christmas singing competition.
Rhine Johnson|Marlin Chronicle
You could hear them from the Lighthouse. Shouts and Christmas music marking a spirited competition and the end of the semester. There were many winter festivities on the Virginia Wesleyan campus the week before finals, including back to back winter themed events on campus: the annual tree lighting on Dec. 5 and Finter Wonderland, run by Off The Hook, on Dec. 6.
You could hear them from the Lighthouse. Shouts and Christmas music marking a spirited competition and the end of the semester. There were many winter festivities on the Virginia Wesleyan campus the week before finals, including back to back winter themed events on campus: the annual tree lighting on Dec. 5 and Finter Wonderland, run by Off The Hook, on Dec. 6.
The tree lighting was held in the open area next to the chapel with a pine tree that was covered in lights. Hot cocoa and cookies were provided, ornaments were set out to be decorated and holiday themed glasses and hats were available to take.
Students were invited to enjoy the amenities before the excitement started.
Actors were available to take photos with: Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and the Grinch. The Grinch was a new addition this semester, and the actor sometimes posed with dogs, or photobombed some pictures taken with the Clauses. There were two dogs present for the entire event, Luna and Maverick.
“This is a special part of the Christmas season at Virginia Wesleyan,” President Scott Miller said when interviewed before his speech.
The event officially started off with a speech from Miller and a holiday prayer by a member of campus ministries.
After the group song, Jason Seward, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Operational Management, recited a modified version of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” that was instead called “Twas the Night Before Finals.” This variation keeps the pace of the original while retelling common end of semester experiences.
“Happy finals to all, and to all a good test,” Seward said at the closing of the poem.
The 12 Days of Christmas competition between student organizations, unlike the wind, was heated. This competition has each of the 12 Days of Christmas represented by a student organization, and the organizations compete to be the loudest, most enthusiastic and most spirited when singing their part of the song.
There are some good natured rivalries between the different organizations, with some sports combining the women’s and men’s teams to attempt to overturn the softball team, who had won the previous year’s competition.
“I have a good feeling this year,” Salena Jones, a Biology major on the Women’s Volleyball team, said before the competition.
The final winner was determined by Off the Hook, and while there isn’t a tangible prize for winning, the honor is nonetheless fiercely fought for. The Softball team was this year’s victor, like last year.
“It’s always just a great opportunity for us all to get together as a community and to celebrate the semester and also appreciate the holiday season,” Miller said.
After the tree was lit, those at the festivities were invited to go to the cafeteria for a holiday themed meal.
The Finter Wonderland festivities were more subdued, with more involved crafts than those at the tree lighting, and warmer thanks to the event being held indoors. There was hot cocoa and cookies once again at this event, with toppings available for the cocoa. While the flyer distributed for the event said that there would be roller skating, there was instead indoor ice skating.
When asked, Abigail Villacrusis, a Communications and French double major who works with Off the Hook, said that it had been unclear what the outside company would bring to the CMAC.
The indoor ice skating rink took up a portion of half of the CMAC and the rink was plastic instead of ice, though skates with blades were used.
“It’s definitely different (the rink). It’s hard to find traction, like you can’t skate the same,” senior Elizabeth Smeltzer, an Environmental Studies major with a biology minor, said.
The festive activities and snacks made spaces for the campus community to meet and interact.
By Clay Yokom
kayokom@vwu.edu
