I will admit that I'm not a Christmas person. It is simply a skill set I do not possess, and I've given up kicking myself over it. I'm just not good at Christmas, and I've learned to deal with it.
There is one tradition that I do keep up. I visit my alma mater, Marywood University, for the annual Christmas tree lighting in the Liberal Arts Building.
They started decorating a giant tree in here in 1982, which would have been half way through my senior year. I took a crushing credit load my first two years, and I took classes every summer, so I was barely on campus for my senior year. In fact, I was no longer considered a full time student. I just didn't need the credits and I cruised toward graduation.
I am building the foundation for saying that, for the life of me, I don't remember that first tree, and I should have. I also don't remember when I started going back for the tree lighting. It's been quite a while.
My routine is always the same-- walk around campus, remember my time here, drop by the radio station, visit with a friend who works there, see a few more old friends who also come back to watch the tree lighting. The music and atmosphere are difficult to describe. Well, it's Christmas and let's just leave it at that. It does give me that warm feeling and I enjoy every second of it.
The rotunda is always packed, so I didn't have the best angle to shoot video. Enjoy, nonetheless, and an early Merry Christmas!
