By: Katie Harmon
Read all posts by Katie
One of the common quotes from CHC faculty email signatures is “Chestnut Hill College…celebrating 85 years of tradition and risk.” And the most celebrated tradition here (in my opinion) is Christmas Decorating Night. The first ever Decorating Night began when students wanted to make the college halls more festive for the sisters who resided here over Christmas break when all the students moved out and celebrated the holidays with their own families. Ever since then, the tradition has lived on.
Each class is assigned a different area to decorate and on Decorating Night, everything is to be kept a mystery to the underclassmen. The seniors’ hallway is blocked off because students are only allowed to see the areas of the classes below them. That means freshmen are only allowed to see the cafeteria, sophomores are allowed to see the piazza in addition to the cafeteria, juniors are able to visit the aforementioned areas and the rotunda, whereas the seniors can roam wherever they please. At the end of the night (really, in the early morning!) the seniors cause a ruckus in the residence halls, waking up sleeping students to gather and sing Christmas carols outside the college president’s window. Unfortunately this year there was an incident with an electrical fire around 4am in the area under construction by Sugarloaf, so Sr. Carol Jean Vale was with SL residents and making sure everything was alright with us at the time carolers should have been caroling at her window. However, tradition was not broken because the carolers videotaped themselves so the president would still hear their Christmas cheer, no matter the conditions that night. See their video here! Credit to awesome videographer and general cheer-spreader, CHC senior Kate Sprandio.
Following the tradition of Decorating Night, Carol Night is where everyone gathers in the newly decorated rotunda to hear all of CHC’s music ensembles perform. The concert always has a big turnout, with seats on the rotunda floor filled, and onlookers standing wherever there’s room from the first to fifth floor balconies.
Performances on Carol Night included: an opening fanfare on trumpet by Gary Hughes, Hill Singers, Chamber Ensemble, String Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Gospel Choir, Jazz Combo, and appearances from Santa Claus himself and this year his friend Frosty the Snowman too! At the end of the concert, Santa always says a says a special hello to the children present, and everyone joins Hill Singers and Mr. Naydan leads us all in singing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” before departing for treats and goodies in the East Parlor.
To see the Hill Singers’ performances, go here!