MU Groups, Organizations Compete for Best Decorated Tree
Tiffany Williams
The holiday season is a special time of year where the cold weather, snow and festive decorations bring students together. And Manchester’s Festival of Trees helps them do just that.
The Festival of Trees is an event that involves on-campus clubs and organizations getting together and decorating Christmas trees in ways that represent their given organizations. They are lined among the main hallway in the upper level of the Jo Young Switzer Center. Last Wednesday, November 28, students voted for their favorite trees, received a gold tree ornament, enjoyed Christmas cookies and hot cocoa, and were able to get pictures with Santa.
The Pre-Professionals of Science Club decorated their tree in different medical items. Gauze elegantly wraps the tree as if it were ribbon. Various types of face masks and gloves, some having air blown into them to make them more bubble-like, were strewn about the tree among floss containers, band-aids, tooth brushes, plastic syringes as if ornaments. Katie Robison, a first-year, said: “As a biology and chemistry major, I appreciate the creativity as they used gauze for ribbons and floss for tinsel.”
Another tree, decorated by the Center for Service Opportunities, was covered in a multitude of pictures from different service events held by Manchester University. There was silver tinsel winding down the tree along with white lights, along with red cut-out letters at the top that said CSO. Carter Hooks, a sports management major, said: “I am color blind and I appreciate this tree because I can see all the colors, as they’re supposed to be seen, that they used to decorate it.”
The tree decorated by Hispanos Unidos contained flags from different Spanish-speaking countries and brightly colored homemade snowflakes. On the top, in place of an angel was a small sombrero while a large sombrero lay underneath the tree behind a brightly colored papier-mâché cross and unlit candle. Student Grace Ordway said, “I liked this tree because it reminds me of my family.”
“It was a really cool experience to see the Festival of Trees,” said Jenn Wagner, a first-year. “It was nice to see how each club came together to decorate a tree and I particularly like the ones that represented the core of the club.”