Sometimes it’s hard to get into the Christmas spirit in Georgia
because the weather refuses to dip below 50°F. Add to that the looming threat
of papers and finals, and at times the glory of home cooked food and a break is
almost snuffed out. That’s why I always love participating in Christmas
traditions at Berry.
For me, it always starts with the lights at
the Oak Hill & Martha Berry Museum (Candles and Carols). Wandering the
museum with carolers singing in the distance is very peaceful. My favorite
exhibit was a few years ago, when they showcased all of the Berry Christmas
cards over the years. (The ones in the 80’s were special, let me tell you!) My
friends and I then set out up the illuminated driveway to Martha Berry’s old
house (which, by the by, is in Sweet Home Alabama). The rooms are
lovely, and most years they have the gardens covered in Christmas lights, too.
It’s a lovely break from the craziness of the last few weeks of classes.
One tradition my friend, Anna, and I have is to go see a show at
Shakespeare’s Tavern in Atlanta every semester. This term we were running a
little late, so we caught a production of A Christmas Carol (which, if
you didn’t know, wasn’t written by Shakespeare). We had a lovely time.
My roommate, Kyley, and I have another unique tradition. We go
out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and exchange gifts. Then we go back
to the room, open a bottle of Apple Bubbly, and watch Jimmy Stewart’s The
Shop Around the Corner.
This year, Kyley and I also went to see Berry College Theatre
Company’s annual Christmas play. This semester it was Uh Oh, Her Comes
Christmas, a charming and funny look at Christmas craziness. In the spirit
of the season, the play was free with any donation for St. Jude Children’s
Hospital.
There were many gifts exchanged at work. One of my favorites was
a package full of mustache items (including mustache duct tape). The student
workers bonded together to Photoshop pictures of coworkers onto classic
Christmas characters (like Elf and Rudolph) and then put these
terrifying creations all over one supervisor’s desk. Nothing says holiday cheer
quite like that.
So though I’m still wearing short sleeves, writing essays to the
sounds of a downpour, and thinking wistfully of the cold weather in winters
past, I feel like Christmas has already come.
Merry Christmas, and God bless us everyone.