One of the annual traditions that make the holidays such a special time took place Monday (Dec. 1) at Saint John’s University and Tuesday (Dec. 2) at the College of Saint Benedict with the annual lighting of the Christmas trees on both campuses.
At SJU, the switch was hit Monday afternoon, illuminating the 18,000 LED lights on the 30-foot artificial tree that rises majestically at the back of the Great Hall.
Then, Tuesday, the 2,500 lights on the 35-foot white pine located outdoors on the CSB Mall were lit for the first time as well.
“The lightings of our Christmas trees at CSB and SJU are moments that bring our entire community together,” CSB and SJU President Brian Bruess said. “They’re traditions that celebrate not just the season, but the shared sense of belonging that make CSB and SJU so special.”
This year’s CSB Christmas tree came from campus. The white pine had been growing on the west side of the Henrita Academic Building but was coming close to interfering with a path and was blocking the view of a number of crabapple trees growing behind it.
The grounds crew plans on planting three apple trees and perhaps one more shade tree in that same area next summer to replace it.
“You don’t usually want to take down a perfectly healthy tree, but this one was going to need to come down anyway over the next couple of years,” said Tony Webber, the coordinate grounds director for CSB and SJU. “This was a way to put it to good use in a way the entire campus could enjoy.”
At SJU, the artificial tree currently on display has been in use since 2015. Prior to that time, a tree was harvested from somewhere on campus or in the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum.
But that meant fire concerns kept the tree from having actual lights from 1978 to 2014. It is for that reason – as well as concerns over finding enough suitably aesthetic trees to cut – that the move to an artificial tree was made a decade ago.
The tree takes between six and eight hours to set up – a process that takes place the Monday before Thanksgiving each year. In addition to the LED lights, the tree is also adorned with a large amount of gold ornaments that vary annually in selection and configuration.
“It’s always amazing when the tree is lit for the first time,” said Noah Raiche, the director of events and conferences at SJU and the person responsible for coordinating the tree’s setup.
“It takes what is already a marquee space (in the Great Hall) and makes it even more impressive. People love it. There is rarely a date during the Christmas season when that space isn’t filled.”
