Arts

Holiday Spirit on Campus 

During the two chaotic weeks that mark the time between fall and winter break, it is no surprise that the main thing keeping the average student going is the promise of the quickly approaching holidays. Although the school days are jam-packed with exams and homework is rampant, the usual academic intensity that comes with being an Andover student is balanced out with community events and celebrations. Even if you don’t celebrate a specific holiday during the winter season, everyone is able to contribute and engage with the holiday spirit. In such a hectic time, this spirit serves as a way to foster community through unity, connection, and reflection. 

Campus completely transforms in the time leading up to winter break, coming alive with joy. Simply walking down the paths can lead you to an array of fun and festive decorations meant to bring more cheer into our lives. Dorms across campus put up a variety of colorful lights, wreaths, and inflatable decorations. One of the more prominent examples of this is Eaton Cottage. While beautiful with its distinctive garden all year, the addition of colorful lights and other various decorations brings a new shimmer, especially during the holiday season. These decorations, despite seeming deceptively simple, highlight the ease of cultivating a greater sense of togetherness and holiday cheer even amidst the biting New England weather. 

Along with the festive decorations, the atmosphere on campus has been boosted up through the sheer amount of holiday-adjacent events happening recently. This past weekend, for example, students were given the opportunity to engage in a number of fun and seasonal activities. These included holiday karaoke, a showing of ELF! and Die Hard, and a free skate for upperclassmen. Whether you were stumbling around on the ice during the free skate or cozying up to a nostalgic movie, these events have given students and faculty time to relax between an incessant schedule. In turn, the broader Andover community becomes even more tight-knit because of the many lighthearted events taking place.

As a new term starts, these two weeks also give Andover students an opportunity to reflect. Because of all of the holiday spirit currently spreading through campus, students are encouraged to step back and appreciate the time they are spending with their friends and peers. Along with this comes a sense of gratitude for the diversity and inclusion of other cultures and traditions into Andover’s festivities. The community makes an effort for everyone to be seen and included and for everyone to be able to have fun regardless of their personal background. 

The holiday season at Andover has proven itself to be a time of unity, reflection, and celebration. Whether it is the various festive decorations or the exciting events happening on campus it is clear that everyone has seemingly bonded over this magical time of the year in one way or the other. Although many boarding Andover students are not able to spend face-to-face time with family during the weeks leading up to the holidays, these spirited activities still allow them to feel a connection with holiday cheer. Even if students are not able to engage with all of their usual holiday routines due to living on campus, with newly-created memories of these two weeks before winter break, fresh holiday traditions can be made. Hopefully, through these events, everyone on campus will be able to come back from a joyful winter break with the same sense of hope that these two weeks at the start of winter term have nurtured.