Poster design by Joshua Boggs

It is time for one of those rarest of all Columbia activities: a cherished school tradition! What they lack in frequency, and indeed historical legacy, these events more than make up in enthusiasm and good feeling, so put on your ugliest Christmas sweater, try to convince your roommate who is always working to enjoy himself just this once, and then abandon him for the 2014 Columbia Tree Lighting Ceremony!

Festivities will start at 5:30 on College walk. Get there early to beat the line for hot chocolate and cider, and then stay for the countdown to the tree light up! Student council presidents will be there to offer special words of inspiration and holiday cheer, but we can suffer through that together.

Following the tree lighting will be the slightly less cherished but still pretty darn festive Yule Log Ceremony in John Jay lounge! Deans will toast (and speak no doubt), dessert and more cider will be had, and apparently we have a school Yule Log that will be lit. If you don’t feel comfortable letting your prol boots muddy the floor of the elites, this portion of the night’s events will be webcast live on Low Plaza.

Throughout the night, you will be able to enjoy performances by campus acapella groups and the cast of XMAS!9, alone well worth attending.

Taken together, these ceremonies promise to be well worth the price of admission, set at $0.

Festive holiday poster, via the official Facebook event