Colleges are more than just places of learning – many, especially the smaller colleges, are also families. And nothing unites families like their holiday traditions!
Humans have celebrated winter holidays for thousands of years – after all, it takes a lot of work to make the coldest, dreariest season into the most wonderful time of the year!
Americans celebrate more than a dozen religious holidays around December and New Year, not just Christians. From Hanukkah (Jewish) and Kwanzaa (African-American) to Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrian) and the Births of Báb and Baha’u’llah (Baha’i), early all cultures, ethnicities, and faith groups in the US have celebrations around this time.
But the biggest of all remains Christmas! It’s the most widely celebrated, the most commercialized, and the most disputed – look up Lynch vs Donnelly if you’re wondering whether a public university can have a collegiate Christmas tree.
It’s also beloved on college campuses, from small Christian colleges and Catholic universities to major research institutions, even public ones. Students might go home after their exams for winter break, but up until then, many schools stretch out their Christmas celebrations throughout December.
From Thanksgiving to New Year, here are some of the best spots for college campus Christmas magic!
Note: The schools featured here are in alphabetical order. We couldn’t rank a thing like Christmas spirit!
1. Baylor University – Christmas on 5th Street
A nearly six-decades old tradition, Baylor University’s Christmas on 5th Street is one of the most magical college Christmas celebrations in America. No, you probably won’t see sledding and snowman-building in Waco, TX. But as a private Baptist research university, Baylor does Christmas in style.
From Christmas lights strung all along 5th St – including a beautiful light tunnel at Fountain Mall – to Christmas trees throughout campus, Baylor is a winter wonderland. Christmas on 5th Street includes:
- a live nativity with animals
- performances by campus, local, and national acts
- horse-drawn carriage rides
- food trucks and the university Christmas market
You can even take photos with Santa and Mrs Claus!
2. Belmont University – Christmas at Belmont
Nashville, TN has long been known as Music City, USA, so it’s no surprise that Belmont University would develop one of the most respected music programs in the world. As a private Christian college, Belmont is know for its beautiful Christmas, including a traditional tree-lighting ceremony and Christmas decorations throughout campus.
But Belmont is especially known for “Christmas at Belmont,” a yearly TV special featuring the School of Music. More than 600 students take part in a celebration of traditional carols, classical compositions, and popular holiday favorites. “Christmas at Belmont” has aired nationally on PBS for many years, but in the digital age the show also streams on Amazon and Twitch!
3. McDaniel College – Out of Darkness
A small private college in western Maryland, McDaniel College, offers the campus family and community a lovely young celebration called “Out of Darkness.” Started just in 2023, Out of Darkness has already become a beloved tradition. The Religious and Cultural Festival, sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, highlight the holiday traditions of all of McDaniel’s diverse student groups, including Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and LGBTQ+ students.
With thousands of university Christmas lights and hundreds of luminaries, McDaniel is lit up for the occasion. Students can decorate Christmas cookies or make smores at fire pits; make a wreath for the dorm or to bring home for the holidays; or take a short train ride to learn about the history of McDaniel College.
4. Saint Anselm College – Christmas Feast
With just 2000 students, Saint Anselm College prides itself on being a tight, loving community. All the love coalesces during the holidays, as this private Catholic college hosts a multitude of events. After giving back to the community with the Thanksgiving Basket Blessing (donating food for 180 local families to have Thanksgiving dinner), students take part in the Celebration of light (a dinner hosted by the Intercultural Center) and annual Holiday Fair.
The center of the Christmas season at Saint Anselm is the Christmas Feast and DecemberSong. With the dining hall decorated by the Gingerbread House Competition, students gather for an exclusive dinner. At DecemberSong, the College Choir and other community members celebrate with a concert of holiday favorites and traditional hymns and carols. It’s enough to make students want to come back again and again!
5. Samford University – Hanging of the Green
As one of the oldest college in the US, traditions play a deep role in Samford University’s community and campus life. Birmingham, AL isn’t known for White Christmases, but this private Baptist college is known for their Christmas spirit! Samford keeps students and the community engaged throughout December with events like the Christmas Movie Series and the Christmas Home Tour, which raises money for charity through pop-up shops and a tour of the President’s House.
But the biggest event as Samford is the Hanging of the Green and Lighting of the Way. After Thanksgiving, students celebrate by decorating Reid Chapel in a holiday service, then walking down Centennial Walk with lighted candles. The event culminates in the lighting of the campus Christmas tree and a holiday concert, with milk, hot chocolates, and cookies for all!
6. Seton Hall University – Christmas Mass
Seton Hall University is one of the most renowned Catholic research institutions in the nation. They also do the Christmas season right, with all sorts of events for students and the campus community. From the Graduate Student Wine & Cheese Social to Pancakes with Santa (and The Pirate, Seton Hall’s mascot), Christmas Karaoke to the 1964 Christmas Television Spectacular (with the Theater department staging a throwback-style Christmas variety show), there’s no shortage of holiday spirit.
Seton Hall’s Chapel of the Immaculate Conception holds the annual Christmas Mass, followed by the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, where students enjoy holiday treats and send Christmas cards to their families. In the giving spirit of the holidays, Seton Hall students also get involved in the 12 Acts of Christmas Kindness, banding together to help out the community.
7. Texas Tech – Carol of Lights
Texas does everything big, blah blah blah. Except yeah, they do.
Just like Texas Tech’s Carol of Lights celebration. For more than 65 years, the Texas Tech community gathers on campus in Lubbock, TX, for one of the most impressive Christmas displays on any college campus. With Tech’s musical ensembles performing – Texas Tech University Combined Choirs, Trombone Choir, the Masked Rider, High Riders, and Saddle Tramps – Texas Tech lights up the campus with more than 25,000 lights, a 40-foot Christmas tree, and a fireworks display. Oh, and the 43 bells in the bell tower ring out.
The annual Carol of Lights Run a week later takes runner on a 5k and 1-mile route through, with carolers singings throughout the course and hot chocolate and treats to celebrate! It’s Christmas, with that unique Texas Tech spirit!
8. Villanova University – Christmas Tree Lighting
Villanova University’s holiday events start in November with Christmas concerts from the Villanova Band and campus singing groups. But that is just the beginning! Throughout December there are more performances, from the Pastoral Musicians, the Dance Company and Ensemble, and special Mass celebrations (the heart of this Catholic school).
The University Christmas Tree Lighting includes a light show, while the beloved Holiday Village and Art Market offers food trucks, carriage rides, and even more musical entertainment. The Light in the Darkness Multifaith Celebration gives students and community the gift of sharing and celebrating their own faith traditions from around the world.
9. Wake Forest University – The Lovefeast
Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, NC, is known for one of the most beautiful campuses in America. So of course, this private university with Christian roots is decked out at Christmas, with Christmas lights and garlands, wreaths, and luminaries circling Hearn Plaza, the center of campus. Students participate in the Lighting of the Quad, holding up candles, and the college lights a massive Christmas tree.
But Wake Forest is also known for one of the most unique Christmas celebrations of any college campus – The Lovefeast. Based on an old Moravian tradition dating back to the 1700s, Wake Forest celebrated their first Lovefeast in 1965. Students, faculty, and alumni gather in Wait Chapel to sing hymns and carols. During the singing, celebrants pass around sweet buns and coffee to represent community and sharing. At the end, everyone lights a handmade beeswax candle and sings the final songs by candlelight. Alumni who want to participate at home can watch a livestream on WFU’s website.
10. William & Mary – Yule Log Celebration
William & Mary is the second-oldest college in the US – founded in 1693 – but by that standard, their beloved Yule Log Celebration is young, starting in 1930! During the Yule Log ceremony, students, faculty, and staff throw a sprig of holly into the fire to represent leaving behind the troubles of the past year. In more recent traditions, students decorate Christmas trees with paper doves with a message of gratitude written on them, and the college president himself has been known dress like Santa and read How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Of course, since it’s the age of technology, these days alumni who can’t attend can have their own watch party at home! William & Mary offers a live stream of the event, along with traditional recipes for those W&M family members who miss gathering for cider and cookies after throwing their troubles into the Yule Log.
