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The Rotunda
Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Grand Illumination of Longwood's Giving Tree Celebrates Tradition, Giving and Diversity

You may have noticed the large presence in Ruffner Hall this past Thursday, Nov. 17 while you were walking to class, a presence that had caused the walkway to brim with anticipation as students and faculty alike collected to view this year's second annual Grand Illumination of the Longwood Giving Tree.

Proudly standing in the atrium of Ruffner Hall, the Giving Tree warmly glows with lights, snowflakes and white streaming ribbons while poinsettias encircle the base of the tree. Various cards hung on the tree branches, provided by Theta Chi Fraternity, Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority and National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, each providing information such as age, gender and gift preferences for children who may not be as fortunate as others during the holiday season.

President Brigadier General Finnegan graced the attendees with his presence as well, opening and closing the evening. Finnegan praised the cards hung on the branches of the tree and said, "What I love about it is that it celebrates the real tradition of this season no matter what your background is, and that is helping out other people and giving to others who are less fortunate … It will give to someone in the local community, a child who may not celebrate the season in another way unless you are willing to step forward and help them out."

The reason for the placement of the tree, said Finnegan, is "because of the beauty of Ruffner. And the rotunda is the center place of the campus, and this should be the center piece of our celebration of the season."

Professor of Anthropology Dr. James Jordan, known for his informative and encapsulating speeches for his ghost stories and bonfir, provided an introduction to the event by describing the symbolism of different Christmas images, such as the Christmas tree. "People brought trees into their homes in the winter time, in the Yule season shortly after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. And they did that, I think, because they were terribly worried. Things were going wrong. The earth was getting darker and colder."

Jordan further commented, "In order to keep alive the hope that it wouldn't this year be the last time that the sun would go out, people brought a friend into their home, and that friend was a tree; a bizarre tree, a tree that didn't turn brown or yellow or lose its leaves at the winter solstice, but a tree that was evergreen. And that evergreen tree served as a reminder that every year spring would come back."

The decorations that are commonly seen on Christmas trees, as described by Jordan, have "very bright colors, suggesting the sun," and are also "round … remind[ing] you of fruits and nuts and berries."

Jordan said the purpose of the fruit-like decorations used on Christmas trees is in "recognition that humans lived largely at the beck and call of the environment, and hope that the environment would not this year turn out to be a bad one."

Two other symbolic plants Jordan highlighted included the holly and the poinsettia. The sun-like, natural imagery seen in tree decorations are also seen with holly, as Jordan said, "… the shorter the days get, and the colder the temperature becomes and the more it looks like the sun will be extinguished forever, the brighter [the holly's] green berries get until winter solstice, they just get bright and red as the sun." Similarly, the poinsettia, a central American plant brought to America by politician Joel Poinsett, has leaves that turn a bright red during the winter time when placed indoors.

The bright, vibrant and lively colors from both plants during the winter season suggested "the promise of nature," as said by Jordan.

The last symbol Jordan illustrated upon was the candle. "Those candles … have been reminders that the indications that whatever and whoever is out there in the deep midwinter cold was invited to come in. And nothing would be more inviting than a candle in your window and keeping it lit during this dire time of the year."

Assistant Professor of English and Co-Chair of the Student Diversity and Inclusion Committee David Magill celebrated the event as a speaker as well, saying, "Traditions define communities, and this tradition of lighting the tree defines the season and Longwood's community in a really special way."

Longwood student LeighAnna Feeser gave a speech also and said, "As we lit this tree, this room came alive with the glow and warmth from the lights. Perhaps the world is a little like our tree was just a few minutes ago, dark and stark, in need of light."

Feeser said, "As we seek an education and prepare into the world outside of our community of Longwood University, I find it imperative that we are graced by the presence of people who bring with them many different faiths and beliefs from around the world, regardless of who you are, what you do on this campus or what you will do beyond the sidewalks and classrooms of this Longwood university, I think we all earn for a meaning beyond ourselves."

"Let us work together," stated Feeser, "to not just tolerate, but to appreciate and to accept that we are each different and offer authentic, valuable opinions. In the end, whether Christian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist or agnostic, we must all come together to make this world a better place."

Magill suggested students view the beauty of the Giving Tree and said, "As we reflect on our majors and our Giving Tree tradition, I want us to also reflect on the many diverse traditions, all of which are practiced here on Longwood by members of the community. And I hope that you take the time as you're walking between classes to visit this display that's been set up by the Diversity Council, both student and faculty and staff and President Finnegan."

By the end of the event, Finnegan thanked everyone for coming with a wish for "Happy holidays" and summed up the event with, "The spirit of Longwood is the spirit of the community, whether it's in the giving tree or whether it's in one of these other symbols. It's really about the people here. Keep that spirit in your heart throughout the season."

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