As students come back from Thanksgiving Break to an incredibly festive campus greets them. From Christmas trees, to candle lights in the windows, Saint Anselm College looks like a winter wonderland. As the semester comes to an end, students have plenty of schoolwork, but for some nice study breaks, there are plenty of Saint Anselm College Christmas traditions that have been around for a while.
We start the Christmas season with a gingerbread house competition in Davison Hall. After serving dinner, Davison closes and gears up for 400 competitive Anselmians to enter. The competition is free of charge for students, but the most challenging part is for students to make it in time to sign up. Students are waiting outside the Davison office prior to the start of signups to ensure that they get a spot.
Rosemary Stackpole, the Director of Dining Services shared that “all 100 slots were filled during the first day of sign-ups this year”. She attributes that to the fact that in 2004, Dining Services decided to change it to a prize-winning competition. The first place team will win $400, second place wins $200, and third place wins $100. All of the gingerbread houses when finished are displayed around the Christmas tree in Davison where students, faculty and staff can vote for the tree of their desire. Saint Anselm College has some talented and creative students to say the least.
On Saturday, December 1, 2012, students piled into the Carr Center for the annual Holiday Fair put on by the Meelia Center. This was the 21st annual Holiday Fair. There were students from all walks of campus come together making reindeer food, cookies, face painting and much more with children from the greater Manchester area. Then on Saturday evening, the Anselmian community—new and old—join together in the Abbey Church for the December Song.
This was the choir’s twenty-sixth season. Father Bede and his staff put on another unforgettable performance. This year, they decided to change things up a little and added a few sing-alongs. It added a nice touch and made all present feel together. They sang songs in honor of the Advent season as well as some famous Christmas songs including Silent Night, O Holy Night, and Joy to the World. Between the Holiday Fair and the December Song, the creativity and talent of students was once again evident.
We end our semester here with Christmas with CAB and the Christmas Feast. CAB does Cabingo with wrapped gifts as well as an event on the last of classes in Cushing to celebrate the holidays with our fellow classmates. The Christmas Feast is complimentary to all students with a meal plan. This tradition began in 2004. Ms. Stackpole shared that last year there were 1,375 students that were served. Davison starts serving at 4:30 PM and it ends at 7:00 PM. It has been a long-standing goal of students to find a seat at the Christmas Feast. All students are encouraged to dress warmly to bear the cold weather from waiting in the long line that stretches past the Dana Center and into the parking lot. Leslie Minchin, the Assistant Director to Dining Services at Saint Anselm College who is new to our community this year shared, “The Christmas spirit and enthusiasm from the students here is unmatched, and it makes all of our work worth it”.
Take the time to thank those who make these traditions happen! Special thanks to Rosemary Stackpole, Leslie Minchin, and the rest of the Davison staff for the Gingerbread House Competition and Christmas Feast; Dan Forbes and the Meelia Center staff for the opportunity to spread the holiday cheer with children; and Father Bede and the choir members for showing us the beauty of Christmas through music. Saint Anselm College makes the stress of the end of the semester much more enjoyable with the wonderful Christmas traditions.
