Jenna Bacon, Campus Carrier arts and living editor
The holiday season is in full swing here at Berry College. There have been numerous Christmas-themed events over the past week, and a few more to come! Many resident halls have hosted their own holiday event for the Berry community. From festive movie nights in Emily Cottage to the enchanting Christmas in the Castle, Berry’s resident assistants have gone above and beyond to organize engaging events designed to bring holiday cheer and offer students a much-needed break from the stress of finals. Senior biochemistry major Ashley Kosten is the head women’s resident assistant at Ford. Kosten worked with her fellow resident assistants to host “Christmas in the Castle.”
“Christmas in the castle used to be kind of like signature program tradition in the past so we decided to bring it back this year; we thought it’d be super fun and bring the community together,” Kosten said. “All my Aries were super excited, so they did a lot of research trying to figure out what activities they want to do.”
Frosty the Snowman plays in the background as students relax before finals
The event took place on Dec. 3, from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Ford Dining Hall, and was funded by Residence Life. The evening began with attendees participating in a “snowball fight” using foam “snowballs.” This playful battle was then followed by a game of “rope the reindeer,” where participants were given a rope to loop around a cardboard cutout of a member of Santa’s sleigh squad. The event featured an array of delicious treats, including cupcakes, cookies, and a hot chocolate bar fully stocked with marshmallows and peppermints. After weeks of preparation, the event went off without a hitch.
The Cottage, Oak Hill, and Mountain residencies hosted another fun holiday event on Dec. 2 at Emily Cottage. Beginning at 6 p.m. on Dec. 2, a Holiday movie was shown at Emily Cottage. Junior accounting major Ellie Pirkle is an RA at Emily Cottage. Pirkle was responsible for hosting the event and planning what snacks to bring. According to Pirkle, she hosted a similar event during her time as an RA last year, and her former residents really appreciated the chance to relax and unwind. To further engage her residents, Pirkle also hid a plush elf around the cottage each day for a couple of weeks leading up to the movie night. Each morning, her residents would wake up to find the little elf in a different hiding place. On the night of the event, the cottage resident who discovered the elf the most times won a special prize.
Berry students craft their own stocking while at holiday event.
“My parents hid our Elf each morning, and it made the holiday season a lot more fun. Since I am in a cottage, there are a lot of places to hide him,” Pirkle said. “College students really just want to feel like little kids! My residents all really enjoyed it and finding him each day became really competitive.”
Sigma Tau Delta hosted their “Literary Christmas” event on Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. in Evans 203. Berry Senior English and Secondary Education major Arista Elderkin is the current president of Sigma Tau Delta, Berry’s English Honors Society. She collaborated with other members of the event to put on the event. At the event, attendees were able to decorate their own stockings or ornaments while watching a Christmas movie and enjoying some refreshments. Elderkin thought this would provide the Berry community with some holiday joy preceding finals.
“I think finals and just the semester in general has some really stressful for a lot of people,” Elderkin said. “I think sometimes we forget just to take a moment to just reflect. I think we put so much pressure on ourselves to like get assignments done that is just important to take some time to have fun.”
Oak Hill Museum is also offering special Victorian Christmas Tours beginning Friday. This tour will be offered every Friday and Saturday through Dec. 14 starting at 4:30 p.m. This tour is meant to exhibit traditional Victorian Christmas decorations and traditions. Current students, faculty, alumni, and children under the age of five get free entry.
Furthermore, the Berry Dance Company is putting on its annual Holiday Wonders show on Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. The show will include numerous dance styles and choreography done by students who have completed the DAN 307 choreography, full-time staff, and alumni. There will be a director’s note offered at the beginning of the show to assist in guiding the audience through the artistic aspects of the dance. With a variety of festive events to enjoy, the Berry community is sure to embrace the holiday spirit to its fullest this season.