At Colgate University, the time passes quickly from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Classes pause for a week as students run home for Thanksgiving dinner, only to start again for the most busy and intense weeks of the year leading up to finals. However, while the stress of final papers and exams never quite leaves until they’re handed in, students still find ways to come together and celebrate the holiday season.
Colgate and the village of Hamilton work hard to facilitate community events that are full of joy and fun, and students never fail to appreciate the opportunities to find cheer in an otherwise stressful time. Students also work to carve out time to spend with friends, making the most of the snowy season.
On of the most well-known Colgate holiday events is Franksgiving, which is a beloved Thanksgiving-themed annual feast hosted at Frank Dining Hall. This year, the highly anticipated event took place on Nov. 20 just before Thanksgiving Break. Many students attend the event each year, with upperclassmen venturing up the hill for the occasion and underclassmen arriving in droves to experience Franksgiving for the very time. First-year Stephanie Sheehan, one of many attending Franksgiving for the first time, found it to be a nice tradition.
“It was a fun event to go to, so I see myself going again,” Sheehan said.
Franksgiving is very popular, drawing students from every grade together and creating what may be the longest Frank line of the year. Sheehan, like a lot of students, waited in line for quite a while even though the event had already been going on.
“I got in line around 6 p.m., and the event was already underway for an hour. The line was still pretty long,” Sheehan said.
Each year, there is something different, with the goal of making the feast more accommodating for all students. Although first-year Josie Chase follows a stricter diet than most, sticking to kosher foods, she found that there were plenty of options for her to eat.
“I was very surprised because they had very good vegetarian options. Besides the turkey, they had really good food,” Chase said.
All around, there was a wide variety of delicious Thanksgiving foods, such as turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, yams, dinner rolls and more, as well as a wide variety of options for those with allergies or dietary restrictions. According to students, Franksgiving was a great success, beloved by all.
While Colgate-led events are fun and festive, many students also plan their own events and activities during the final wintery weeks of the semester. A group of seniors decided to take advantage of recent snowfall to build an igloo together in the middle of the Parker Apartments complex, a venture that ended up taking many more hours than they had planned.
Senior Aryan Kanumuri credited his friend, senior Kevin Han, with the idea to build an igloo and expressed how much he enjoyed taking the time to top doing work and play in the snow
“After an extremely hectic and busy week, I was looking forward to my Friday of relaxing,” Kanumuri said. “However, my day [was] far off from that when my friend [Han] suggested we build an igloo. I had never built an igloo before, and I thought it would be a fun, non-stressful activity. I was wrong, and after a 10-hour undertaking with help from neighbors, we built an igloo — and even though my Friday was probably as stressful as my week, it will always be a special memory for me as a senior who had an amazing snow day with his buds!”
Han, who spearheaded the activity — which ended up involving over a dozen students in the construction process — credits the igloo-building day for reminding him how special the Colgate community is, and how lucky he feels to be surrounded by his friends in such a close-knit place.
“Being able to relive that childhood experience of playing around in the snow was really great and we had watched a movie on how you only grow old when you stop playing so that was kind of part of it,” Han explained. “It was so fun because more and more people would join us — people walking past would say that it was a really cool idea, and some people would even ask if they would help, so at one point we grew from four people to around 13 people.”
“Doing winter activities, like building an igloo or celebrating holidays with friends, makes senior year even more special,” Kanumuri added.
There are fun things to do in the winter beyond the Colgate campus, as well. On Dec. 6, the Village of Hamilton celebrated its annual Night of Lights celebration, which featured an anticipated tree lighting and welcomed various festive performances that sparked fun memories. From Colgate a cappella performances to pictures with Santa, the holiday spirit was in the air.
Thanks to local businesses and loyal collaborators, including Collette Pretre and Katie McDevitt, the special night traditionally takes place on the first Friday of December. For the past few years, Hamilton Rotary has spearheaded the Night of Lights with the help of other businesses including the Colgate Inn and the Hamilton Public Library. For this annual event, the local community comes together around bonfires and hot chocolate served by local schoolchildren.
The night kicked off with songs sung by Hamilton Central School (HCS) chorus members and was followed by the lighting of the tree. While the tree might not be as grand as New York City’s Rockefeller Center tree, Hamilton created a night to remember by forging a welcoming and festive atmosphere for everyone.
Junior Kate Murphy enjoyed attending the holiday festivities in the village and loved the tight-knit Hamilton community.
“Everyone was running into people they knew, which was really wonderful,” Murphy said.
With snow on the ground and people all around, the cold was masked by the warmth of the atmosphere. Every decoration sparked a smile, especially the illuminated bags crafted by elementary school students that decorated the paths of the Village Green.
According to junior Sophie Sujo, attending the tree lighting celebration was a good break from studying for finals and really showcased the perks of living in a small town.
“Bundled up in layers with friends and little kids running around in their snow gear, it perfectly captured the charm of small-town upstate New York,” Sujo said.
McDevitt, one of the organizers of the annual tree lighting, echoed Sujo’s sentiment by highlighting the ability of small-town community organizers to come together.
“In a small town, if you enjoy community activities like this, you really need to get involved and help out to make them happen,” McDevitt said.
Growing up in Hamilton and in a family that has always been very involved and active in the community, it is very important to McDevitt to show her two sons, ages eight and 11, that when small communities come together, they can create amazing memories for everyone.
“The biggest reason for doing all of this is for all of the children and the magic it brings to them and the fun they have,” McDevitt said.
In the coming weeks, Hamilton has a few more festivities planned to bring the community together and enjoy the Holiday season. On Saturday, Dec. 14, Hamilton organizations are hosting a fun day to continue the celebration of Hamilton for the Holidays. Various locations throughout town will be hosting activities for people of all ages with free admission. These activities include a visit with Santa at the Colgate Bookstore and a screening of “The Grinch.”
It is these types of events that make living in a small town, even just for four years as students, so special. Whether attending holiday events as a break between study sessions or with the whole family, events at Colgate and throughout Hamilton bring people together to celebrate and find holiday cheer.
