Liberty lights up the season at annual Christmas event

Liberty University kicked off the holiday season in front of Demoss Hall on Tuesday night with Student Activities’ fifth annual Christmas in Lights celebration, drawing a crowd of about 1,000 students.

They were greeted with Christmas tunes from the School of Music’s brass ensemble and Liberty University Choir, which filled the steps of Demoss Hall. Later, students joined them in singing traditional Christmas carols.

“(Christmas in Lights) just gets better and better every year,” said senior Julia Shield. “It’s a nice tradition, and I feel like every year more and more people come to gather together; it’s just a good symbol for Christmas for Liberty University.”

President Jerry Falwell and his wife, Becki, welcomed the crowd.

“Becki and I felt that a Christian school should put a big emphasis on Christmas, and so I’m glad we started doing it,” he said after the event. “(Since the beginning) we’ve added a little bit each year. This year we decorated more trees around campus and added outdoor speakers for Christmas music all through the season. Every year it gets a little bit better. It’s a lot of fun.”

Following with tradition, staff lit a 40-foot tree in front of Demoss Hall, as well as about 40 trees lining University Boulevard. An additional 18 Christmas trees were decorated in buildings throughout campus.

“This is so magical, when all of the lights come on in that one moment and then everyone’s singing,” said freshman Jessica Dawson. “It just reminds you what a community Liberty is, and that Liberty is a family. Even though it’s so big, it can still feel so small, and you can be so close to so many different people.”

Student Activities also held an ugly sweater contest, and Sodexo, Liberty’s dining services provider, handed out hot cocoa and snacks.

Upcoming Christmas events on campus include:

• Reindeer 2 miler, Dec. 2
• Christmas on the Blvd., Dec. 2
• Christmas Bonfire, Dec. 4
• Christmas Coffeehouse, Dec. 5

Visit the Student Activities website for details.