Annual Christmas tree lighting draws crowd to Weller Hall for night of caroling and cocoa
An estimated 200 people gather outside Weller Hall to watch the tree lighting and sing carols on Nov. 20.
Photo: Nora Betts
By Kai Olbrich
Voices soared and spirits were lifted as Concordia kicked off the Advent season with its annual Christmas Tree lighting on the evening of Nov. 20.
Students, university faculty, and community members mingled inside Weller Hall and snacked on hot chocolate and cookies before gathering outdoors to watch the lighting of the two large trees in front of Weller.
A countdown to the lighting of the Christmas trees began at 7 p.m. Promptly afterward, attendees were encouraged to sing along to Christmas carols with the Concordia University Chamber Choir, led by Dr. Kurt von Kampen.
The moments before and after the Christmas lights turned on are some of what junior Alison Galchutt loves about Concordia.
“My favorite part was seeing everyone come together and just singing hymns together and the great community that Concordia has,” Galchutt said.
On a night in November when the feels-like temperature was below 30 degrees, von Kampen was pleasantly surprised by the estimated 200 people who attended.
“It’s just the energy with so many people showing up, and it keeps growing every year,” von Kampen said. “I mean, this year, I was really surprised. I thought with it this cold there’d be 20 or 30 people and there are more than ever. And I think everybody’s just up for a good time, and the hot chocolate is good.”
University President Dr. Bernard Bull remarked on the large crowd who joined the festivities.
“Well, it’s pretty exciting to realize how many people showed up for something like this,” said Bull. “I mean, we probably had, I don’t know, 15 or 20 percent of our student body who showed up for the beginning of this time of year where we’re not around for Christmas.”
Even though Christmas Day is over a month away, Bull saw the event as a great opportunity to celebrate the reason that Concordia exists.
“So even though it’s a little bit early and we’re just leaning into Advent, it’s a chance for us to remember why this school exists in the first place,” he said. “We are a school that, from the beginning, the vision was to be a community where we point one another to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And in this time of the year, we celebrate the Word made flesh. And so it’s exciting. And this is the beginning of our celebration, which will culminate with Christmas at Concordia, which is, you know, a beautiful display of music accompanied with God’s Word, pointing us to the real reason for Christmas,” Bull said.
Von Kampen said he appreciates how Concordia offers many avenues for Christmas celebrations throughout the end of the year.
“It’s pretty special to be in a place like Concordia that has had multiple opportunities to celebrate, you know, inarguably the most historic event of all human history,” said von Kampen. “So, you know, this [tree lighting], and then all the ensembles have some kind of Christmas concert, some sort of celebration. So music is very active at this time of year, and it’s pretty cool to see everything coming together.”
Galchutt shared the sentiment of von Kampen and Bull that Christmas at Concordia is one of the most popular events at Concordia University.
“I enjoyed it a lot when I was in it last year,” she said. “It’s just amazing. There’s nothing else like it that I’ve experienced.”