On Monday, December 2nd, President Deana L. Porterfield of Seattle Pacific University began the Christmas season by hosting SPU’s first Christmas tree lighting event.
This event marked the first time SPU has held an official Christmas event on campus since 2019 when Thanksgiving and Christmas break were merged into one from COVID.
The Christmas lighting was held in Tiffany Loop near the Student Union Building (SUB) where a balsam fir was planted for the event.
You wouldn’t have seen a lot of people around the eastern side of the SUB before the event’s start at 5:00 PM. However, once the clock hit the hour, students, faculty, and family quickly poured in to see the lighting of the Christmas tree.
This was a unique event at SPU as the college hasn’t had an official Christmas tree on campus to represent the season. According to Ruth Jacobsen, executive assistant to the president,
“There had been a ‘tree’ of lights that was part of the student ‘Tradition’ event in the past, but my understanding was that they [the students] decided not to use those this year,” Jacobsen said.
“The tree will grow and become part of the natural landscape there, providing an opportunity to incorporate it into an annual celebration,” Jacobsen said.
Because the lighting was a new event for SPU, setting up the event required careful thought and planning for months on new materials and installation.
According to President Porterfield in an interview after the lighting, the electrical wiring for the lights and the tree featured in the event were given to SPU:
“I got a donor that said, Yes, I’ll pay for the tree,” Porterfield said.
“So the second thing that happened is somebody that does electrical found out that we were doing the tree, and called and said, Does the President need electricity to that tree? And we said, Yes, and they said, We’ll donate that,” Porterfield said.
Although the Christmas tree was only a few feet tall for its first season, that did not stop President Porterfield from reminding everyone during the event what they were there for in her speech at the lighting:
“We gather here to proclaim Jesus as the light of the world, celebrating his birth and shining his light on our campus and in our community, and we will leave it lit until you students return for the winter quarter here on the corner of 3rd and Bertona, where our campus meets the heart of Seattle. May this tree stand as a beacon of our mission and the true light of the world Jesus Christ,” Porterfield said.
Following Porterfield’s speech, Reverend Derick Harris welcomed the gathered crowd and gave a prayer for the attendees and the campus.
Afterwards, with staff handing out candles and lyric sheets, students moved in closely for their candles to be lit and to hear the concert choir sing Silent Night and Joy to the World.
Rachel Kronvanick, a sophomore at SPU majoring in early childhood education, enjoyed the event and the candles that attendees got to hold.
“I love[d] the candles,” Kronvanick said.
Krivanek, like many other students, also enjoyed gathering around the Christmas tree, despite the tree being only a few feet tall.
“Real trees over fake trees any day,” Krivanek said.
For younger students as well as older students, the lighting event marked a special season at SPU. According to Josephine Partridge, a junior majoring in theatre and performance with a minor in music,
“I thought [the lighting] was cool because it’s been so long since there’s been Christmas events here, since the schedule changed through the quarter and everything. [It’s] my first Christmas event here as a student. I just think it’s a special time for the community to come together, especially right now. I feel like the community really needs to come together and celebrate each other, so I think this is a great way to bring them together,” Partridge said.
At the end of the choir’s songs, the Christmas tree was lit, and with it the lights on Alexander Hall, McKinley Hall, and other buildings around Tiffany Loop were lit up.
With the trees and Tiffany Loop shining brightly the cheers of Christmas amidst the dark and cold evening, Porterfield closed the event by reminiscing on the birth of Jesus Christ for which the crowd gathered:
“May we reflect His light in our lives, bringing hope, peace and joy to everyone around us. Let this Christmas season remind us of the power of faith, the strength of community and the boundless love that God has shown through His Son as we leave tonight, let us carry that light into the world,“ Porterfield said.
Following the President’s closure, students and faculty made their way into the SUB and enjoyed hot chocolate and Christmas-themed cookies, bonding and sharing their excitement for the Christmas season.
