Valparaiso University celebrates 11th annual tree lighting ceremony with students, staff, Santa Claus and the community

On Tuesday, December 2, Valparaiso University students and staff members welcomed the community to Harre Union for its annual tree lighting ceremony. This event is a tradition that helps kick off the Christmas spirit for an evening of celebration with families and friends.

This year marked the 11th annual tree lighting ceremony at Valparaiso University. Griz Montanez Serrano, staff council member, looks forward to this event every year.

“It’s a fun night for everyone, especially the kids,” Serrano said. “Giving people a chance to see what the campus is like and getting some of the kids excited about coming here is an awesome opportunity for us. Their faces always light up when they get to see Santa Claus.”

The night was filled with all sorts of holiday activities. Attendees could get a picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus, participate in some cookie decorating, receive a Santa-themed hat to represent the university, pose for a drawing by a caricature artist, and a plethora of arts and crafts. Everyone was able to browse the shop in the Harre Union, along with putting together a festive ensemble of Christmas signs, masks, and costume parts for the holiday photo booth.

Many gathered together to join one of the fraternities as they sang Christmas carols to gear up the tree lighting ceremony. They also performed a couple numbers after the tree lighting as a form of celebration.

With this event being one of the last big gatherings of 2025 at Valparaiso University, Serrano believes this also provides an opportunity for people to look back at the year in totality. Many students graduated in the spring, while others have embarked on another year towards their degree. Some students are about to complete their first semester as a college student.

“It’s a great chance for us to reflect and analyze how we’ve been able to interact with not only the community, but also our students. Seeing how they also interact with the community and serving others is exactly what we preach here. We always get a lot of students at this event, and this is one of the biggest traditions we have on campus.”

This event was originally scheduled a week earlier on Tuesday, November 25, but it was rescheduled. For Serrano, she believes the date change made the tree lighting even more magical, as there was plenty of snow on the ground around the tree.

“Last year, we didn’t really have snow on the ground for the most part,” Serrano said. “We only had a few flakes here and there. We got a lot of snow over the weekend, and I think it just adds to the winter wonderland that we all envision during the holiday season. We can build snowmen, we can ride sleds, and we can all imagine Santa up on his sleigh with his reindeers as Christmas nears.”

Putting a smile on the faces of kids in the community and family members of Valparaiso University students or alumni has been a focal point of this event for 11 years now. Every time, it warms the heart of Mrs. Claus to see more people celebrating with their family and friends.

“It’s a wonderful celebration that makes you feel good with all that is happening this season,” Mrs. Claus said. “It’s a joyous celebration. Hopefully, this can continue throughout the course of the year. It’s great to be good during Christmas, but everyone should remember to be kind to one another all year long.”

Santa Claus has a message for all the boys and girls leading up to Christmas.

“I tell the kids all the time that I do have my crystal ball and I’m watching to make sure they’re being good,” Santa said. “When they come up to me, I ask them to see if they’ve been naughty or nice. It looks like this year, we have a lot of kids on the nice list.”

For more information on Valparaiso University, you can visit  valpo.edu.