A hush fell over the crowd before the countdown began. What previously had been a room of casual murmuring among students had transformed into a long-awaited celebration of the tree recently illuminated within the rotunda.
Seen in each direction were three floors of faculty and students squeezed into every inch of space available.
The dimly lit room, accompanied by the musical tracks of holiday classics, was then seen as a beacon of spirit that would last the holiday season. When students and faculty members attended last year’s illumination, young and old recalled the tradition of the holiday tree dating back to 1936.
According to Teresa Dodson, assistant director of Event Services, the Holiday Tree was a live tree cut down in Buckingham County and brought to Longwood’s campus to be displayed outside. From what Dodson can recall, the tree was then brought inside around 1947.
In 2006, Longwood bought a manmade tree that reached 35 feet. According to Angela Stimpson, manager of Facilities Administrative Services, “The previous tree was actually … 35 feet, then we took six feet off of it.” This year, the holiday tree is a brand-new tree that stands at 25 feet.
With the previous tree that was purchased in 2006, the illumination did not commence by flipping a switch or pressing a button outside of the tree. Instead, Multi-Trade Technician Marty Gibson was responsible for lighting the tree by being inside of it. Inside the tree is scaffolding that holds the limbs in place and provides energy to the light bulbs. According to Gibson, “It’s like a funnel of light that all comes down streaming on you [when the tree is lit].” This year, he decided to turn the lights on from a control box outside of the tree.
This new holiday tree will use LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting to maximize energy efficiency. “I would say on average that these bulbs should last at least 30,000 hours,” said Gibson.
The tree will be officially turned off after the faculty leaves on Dec. 18 but will also turn off automatically each night. Gibson stated, “I schedule it to cut off at about 10 p.m. and then to come back on the following morning at 7:30 a.m.”
For several years the Grand Illumination has occurred in mid-November, close to Dorrill Dining Hall’s Thanksgiving dinner. This year, according to Dodson, “The president wanted to have a fall kind of feel for his inauguration, so therefore we delayed the Grand Illumination.” Dodson stated the illumination will return to its mid-November date next school year.
Longwood’s Holiday Tree has had numerous name changes, from the Christmas Tree, to The Giving Tree and back to the Holiday Tree. The name of the tree has been changed to accommodate, not only Christmas, but other holidays during this season including Kwanza and Hanukkah.
The Holiday Tree was previously associated with The Giving Tree during the presidency of Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan. Instead of hanging cards on the Holiday Tree as was done in previous years, the cards were provided this year within the Lankford Student Union. Dodson said, “It’s just easier to hand out the angels” rather than allowing the cards to be taken at random.
Preparation and set-up for the tree starts at least a month in advance. Stimpson said, “Before we can put it up, we’ve got to get Joanie [on the Stoney] moved, which LCVA does, … we reserve the rotunda and Blackwell [Hall] for set-up, and then we have to get it moved because it’s stored in Randolph Warehouse in wooden crates.” After the pieces of the tree are taken out of the crates, the limbs then need to be “fluffed” or bent to resemble a live tree.
Each year, the facilities team asks students who have free time to help fluff the tree. Usually the “fluffers” tend to be from sororities, fraternities and athletic teams. For this year’s illumination, Gibson said he was surprised to see only fraternity brothers showed up to help. After their work, a picture was taken of the fraternity brothers to give them credit for helping fluff the tree.
Junior Jess La Fevre said, “The tree connects us as one family and we all share this one memory and that is how our spirit grows.” She said the cheerfulness of others around the tree provides a “good feeling” to have before finals week.
Gibson, Dodson and Stimpson similarly stated it is the way to bring in the holiday season. For Gibson, the tree is a reminder for him to be thankful and for him to recognize that there are others who are less fortunate.
Dodson said, “Just to look over and see it … gives you a warm feeling.”
Stimpson added, “To me, it’s heartwarming to just sit there and see the smiles and the joy on people’s faces.”
