Upcoming holiday season festivities beginning soon on campus
Families from all over the Triad came to HPU for last year’s Community Christmas Celebration. Photo by: highpoint.edu
By Alexis Ancel// News Editor
During the Holidays, High Point University decorates for various occasions. Between the toy soldiers on the promenade, the wreaths on every building and the life-sized nativity scene, HPU reflects the holiday season.
“I always look forward to seeing campus during the wintertime with the lights and the decorations,” said Alexis Heath, HPU junior. “My favorite part is the sculpture garden when it snows.”
Decorations start going up in early November, and campus continues to get progressively more decorated as the holiday season progresses. Though most of the bigger decorations were donations that are reused every year, this year 48 new 12-foot tall toy soldiers will be added into the mix.
The first event of the season will be the Thanksgiving Message on Nov. 21, which is now included with the holiday activities. This year, HPU will be hosting Todd Huston, and author and amputee who is currently the only person with a disability ever to break an able-bodied record in any sport.
“It’s a powerful and inspiring program, and a good time to remember to be aware and grateful of all of the blessings we have in our lives,” said Melissa Anderson, director of university events.
The next event of the holiday activities will be Lessons and Carols on Nov. 30. During the final chapel service of the semester, students and faculty come together to read scripture, retell the Christmas story and sing holiday songs led by the Chapel Choir.
The Chapel Choir will also perform at the 46th annual Community Prayer Breakfast on Dec. 2. This breakfast will include a speech, music and a silent prayer to honor alumni, HPU community members and anyone else who has passed away in the past year.
Music also plays a role in the holiday festivities every year. The Holiday Choral Concert and the North Carolina Symphony’s Holiday Pops Concert attract large crowds each year. These performances will be held on Dec. 2-3 and Dec. 6, respectively.
“Our annual Holiday Choral Concert has become a popular event for the High Point community, and this year will be the most exciting to date,” Anderson said. “A full orchestra made up of students, faculty, and guests will accompany this concert. Everyone gets in the holiday spirit by participating in singing well-known Christmas classics.”
Students also get a chance to celebrate the holidays by giving back. Throughout the next few weeks, SGA is sponsoring Stuff a Stocking in which students can donate small gifts and stocking stuffers to families in need through the Salvation Army.
The final holiday event of the semester will be the Community Christmas Celebration where local families in the Triad are invited to campus to partake in Christmas festivities throughout campus.
Visitors get to spend the evening drinking hot chocolate, looking at decorations and listening to holiday music. Santa will even be there to bring gifts and take photos with the kids. This tradition started five years ago with just a few hundred people, and now roughly 20,000 come to HPU’s campus for this event.
“The faculty and staff who participate in the Community Christmas Celebration enjoy volunteering and bringing joy to the surrounding area’s families and children,”Anderson said.