Christmas at William and Mary

This weekend was filled with Christmas cheer and traditions.  On Friday, I had the opportunity to enjoy Christmas a cappella vocal music spanning several centuries as I listened to the Virginia Chorale's yearly Christmas concert, and on Sunday I enjoyed the York River Symphony Orchestra's concert filled with wonderful holiday music.  I have always loved Christmas music, so I had really been looking forward to these concerts.

On Saturday night, I went with Vince to one of the most beloved of William and Mary traditions: the Yule Log Ceremony.  The ceremony has its roots in ancient yule log traditions, and at William and Mary, the students are all given holly twigs when they arrive at the ceremony to toss into the great blaze kindled with the yule logs in the Great Hall in the Wren Building at the end of the ceremony, which symbolizes tossing away all the past year's worries and hardships. (Here are some links to news stories about the ceremony in past years...)

The Yule Log Ceremony took place in the courtyard of the Wren Building, the night illuminated by wood fires burning in iron braziers.  During the ceremony, the Vice President of Student Affairs, Sam Sadler, read "'Twas the Night Before Finals", the W&M Choir and the Gentlemen of the College sang, readings about the meanings and significance of the holiday season from many of the religious and cultural organizations on the campus, and finally, the College President, Gene Nichol, read "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" dressed as Santa Claus. 

The first part of the ceremony completed, the Yule Logs were passed through the crowds of students, so the students could brush their holly against the logs.  Unfortunately, the logs didn't go through most of the crowd.  In fact, Vince and I never even saw either of them until they were carried in the doors to the Great Hall!  Then came the long wait as all of us waited in line for our chance to get into the Great Hall to toss our holly sprig into the fire.  Disappointingly enough, some of the other students were rather rude about it (I got elbowed a couple of times by people entirely too greedy about getting their good luck), but Vince and I had a good time laughing about stuff as we slowly made our way to the Hall.

After waiting in line an hour, we finally made it to the Great Hall, greeted by the dulcet strains of "Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming" sung by the Gentlemen of the College.  Under the watchful eye of Queen Anne's coronation portrait, I tossed the holly that carried all the stresses and cares of the past year into the blazing yule log fire, and watched as they were quickly reduced to glowing embers that slipped through the grate and were gone.  It was a very satisfying feeling.  May all worries and stress pass away so quickly!

After Vince and I had tossed our sprigs of holly and watched the smoke of the past year's worries curl up the chimney as countless students have done through the past century, we left the Wren building and headed to the physics building, where a bunch of our friends and classmates were gathered to play Halo2 and hang out.  There were lots of people there when we arrived, and more of our friends made appearances as the news of the gathering spread by word-of-mouth (or ringing victory cries, since those were pretty loud).  Sadly, I couldn't stay for as long as I would have liked to, since I needed to clean up my little cottage because Jason will be arriving here in Virginia on the 15th and the Yule Log Ceremony had taken longer than I had expected, but I wanted to spend some quality time chatting with and heckling my friends as they attempted to fight their way to victory in a virtual world.  Josh, Keoki, Bryan, and Mike were really dominating the field of honor while I was there.  :)  We had a grand time, and we also made some plans to have some fun and games when Jason arrives, so I'll get to play more then.

Spending joyful time hanging out with dear friends while we all gleefully try to snuff each other out in Halo2...  Isn't hanging out with friends what holidays are all about?  :D

[Credits: Holly pictures from botanical.com and BBC gardening.  The ones of the statue of Lord Botetourt and the Wren Building are my own. ]

Comments

[Jason]

As far as I know this is the first school I've attended that has no traditions associated with fire. TCNJ had some fun goings-on around a massive bonfire on the 'lake,' and W&M appears to have something (though I never attended). Now all I get is ice! They aren't going to have a repeat so that I can burn things while I am there, are they?

As for Halo 2, some of us don't have to _try_ to snuff out the others, we simply do. ;) Okay, I better do really well next time I play now. :P

Thanks for putting in so much effort to prepare for my arrival, by the way. It's not like I'm the Pope, though, so don't stress or anything. :) See you in a few days?

[Jason (K)]

You're not? Oh, crap. I'd better bring this hat back, then...

[Jason]

You stole my hat??? Err...HIS hat?

[Sarah K]

Jason, they aren't doing a repeat performance of the Yule Log Ceremony until next year. However, the Virginia Gubernatorial Inauguration will be happening in Williamsburg while you are here, so maybe they will burn things in celebration of that event. And there is always New Year's Eve...

You should start a tradition there that involves fire. You guys need some fire traditions up there in Hoth.

Heh, let's see you come and back that Halo 2 claim up. :P (Will you play on my team, please?)

You're NOT the Pope? But you had his HAT? And now Jason has the hat? What?!

Jason (K), that is not nice, snitching the Pope's funny hat like that. :P

See you in a few days, Jason!

[Jason]

Sarah,
I hear that politicians like to burn things, so maybe there is hope yet! I don't think fire actually works out here, which is one of the reasons I suspect I have an electric stove.

Halo 2? I'll play on your team, we can commence flanking manouvers, grenade flushes and other such tactical wizardry. Ahh, the good old days. Just watch out if there is a round of free-for-all mixed in...

I never claimed to have the Pope's hat, that was all Mr. K. You've seen my car, did it look like the Popemobile to you? Certainly not...

[Jason (K)]

Yes, well, I thought it was the Ogre's hat, which is why I stole it to begin with...

[Jason]

Jason K, always the hypothetical klepto.