This week West Texas A&M University held its annual Hanging of the Lights event here on campus. It doesn’t seem to be a big deal, as the lights have not been turned on yet. However, it signifies the beginning of the holiday season on campus and the surrounding area.

This got me thinking about the holiday season and all the feelings it invokes. The thought of Christmas lights decorating houses and streets as you drive though town, the drinking of hot chocolate, all the jackets and toboggans and of course the food. This time of year is the greatest for all these reasons, and the campus does a great job of highlighting these feelings.

I came from a larger university where big things like holidays weren’t as important as their own agenda, and let me tell you it was awful. Around this time of year we as students all get bogged down. We have a semester worth of work behind us, and it still isn’t done as finals loom in the not-so-distant future.

So the last thing we need is to come to a campus everyday that fails to remind us of this wonderful time of year.

The season is full of joy and fun and it’s great that WT takes the time to remind us. As the winter break gets ever closer, the sight of a lit up school or the unveiling of a centennial ornament can do wonders for the psyche. The stress and frustration that consumes us as we deal with final projects or papers can be overbearing, but all these problems seem to melt away like the marshmallows in our hot chocolate when we see our school getting in that holiday mood.

It’s even more important for the few students who may not be able to go home for the holidays. This reminds us of times spent with our families, and for those who are forced to be away from theirs, this serves as a special way to bring us together as a family on this campus.

PRAIRIE | FRANKIE SANCHEZ

So as much as I rag on the school for its parking or its philosophies, I want to give it major props for putting an emphasis on things that don’t relate to school. In these times of growth where it feels as though our only goal is to grow and keep up with other universities, it’s very nice to see that small school spirit come out. For some of us, it’s the reason we came here. For others it is just a nice bonus. But either way it is a great event that WT has in place to make the season feel special.

Though the weather may be muggy and keep us from feeling like the holidays, WT has still done its part, and for that I am thankful. (Get it? Because thanksgiving is coming up, “I’m thankful!”)

Web Editor’s Note: For photos of Hanging of the Lights, click here!