Like anywhere else this is a special and exciting time of year at Judson.

Regardless of the fact that finals are next week and I still have other assignments to finish, my mood is festive not stressed. Just like I like to have Christmas with my friends and family at home, I want to be able to share the joys of Christmas with my friends and "family" at Judson. The semester ends two weeks before Christmas though, so by the time most of the Christmas celebrations start, we are already home. That is not going to stop us from having Christmas together, though! Instead students start Christmas early. Rather then using the beginning of December to shop and buy gifts, we have already done that and are ready to start the celebration.

The first week back at school after Thanksgiving, this week, we have Christmas parties, decorate our rooms and exchange gifts. I have 4 Christmas parties this week and 2 of them are on the same night. My friends and I are planning a time when we can have a Christmas together to exchange the gifts we have gotten for each other and we are even trying to figure out how to get a tree.

 It is not just individual students enjoying this season either, it's the whole school. The school is being decorated and everyone is getting ready for Christmas Tea and Vespers which take place the Saturday before finals. Christmas Tea is Saturday afternoon and is a formal event where everyone dresses up in beautiful dresses and gathers in the Jewett Parlors. There is tea and cider, not to mention cookies and other yummy treats. It is a time we can spend together celebrating the holidays and the end of another college semester. Everyone is taking pictures and just having a good time. A lot of family members also join us for the occasion and it is nice to get to meet the family of your friends here. Vespers is the Choir's annual Christmas concert and always provides an enjoyable selection of familiar, and sometimes not so familiar, Christmas songs and carols.