Bwog Staff joined Columbia University students at the Tree Lighting Ceremony.

As the end of the semester winds down and the days grow shorter, our sources of joy shrink and the countdown to winter break begins. Columbia’s Tree Lighting ceremony is one of the events that students look forward to most as classes begin to conclude and reading week approaches. This past Thursday at 5 pm, students had the opportunity to get their hands on a free mug or tote bag. Supplies were limited, so only individuals who waited patiently were able to obtain one of these items. For everyone else, there were warm cups of hot chocolate to keep the cold away. Perhaps, even if you didn’t get anything, you got a slight case of frostbite as the temperatures were not kind to us. 

The turnout for the Tree Lighting was impressive and honestly more than anyone expected. At one point, College Walk became a fire hazard. Fortunately, the chances of a fire were slim to none as the electricity didn’t seem to be working properly at 7 pm. While it is well known that the Tree Lighting is usually a bit delayed, this year the delay stretched an extra twenty minutes before the lights flickered on. While annoying, this event allowed all of us to get a glimpse of our old situationships, have our view completely obscured by excited freshmen, and maybe even catch a cold just in time for finals!

While twenty minutes seems like a small inconvenience, there’s actually quite a lot one could accomplish in that short amount of time. What can be done in twenty minutes? Well, you could get Joe’s coffee three times, run two miles, bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies, write the conclusion to your paper, and draft a letter to a loved one. And while we will miss those twenty minutes, we can at least say with certainty that Columbia does have a community, even if we only see it come together twice a year.

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