Celebrate the Holidays with Samford

Published on November 14, 2018 by Sarah Cain

Each year hundreds of Samford students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends gather from late November through December for the university’s Christmas traditions offering opportunities for fellowship, culture and community service. This year’s schedule welcomes back a favorite event and highlights longtime community partners.

Hanging of the Green returns this year after a hiatus due to renovations at Reid Chapel. Samford will celebrate in combination with Lighting of the Way on Nov. 29, 6-8 p.m. Come to the campus to enjoy a candlelit walk, beautiful seasonal decorations, a worship service celebrating the birth of Christ led by a group of selected senior class honorees and the Worship Arts Ensemble and the official lighting of the campus Christmas tree.

Join the School of the Arts for Christmas with Samford Arts Nov. 30 in the Wright Center featuring our talented ensembles, theatre and dance students, and collaboration with our Division of Art and Design. Make plans to arrive early for Christmas music and refreshments in the Wright Center lobby at 6:30 p.m.

All Samford families are invited to attend the fifth annual Samford Family Christmas on Dec. 1 in Samford’s Pete Hanna Center from 9-11 a.m. Families will enjoy fun activities, treats and photos with Santa. Registration is available online.

Samford is partnering with Habitat for Humanity again for the annual 10-day affordable housing building blitz Home for the Holidays.. This tradition engages hundreds of volunteers with one common goal to work alongside a family purchasing a home just in time for the winter holidays! All staff, faculty, students, alumni and their families are encouraged to volunteer for Samford’s build day on Dec. 1. All volunteers must register online by Nov.26

Launched in 2011, Samford Legacy League’s Christmas Home Tour has become a beloved holiday tradition in the Birmingham community. The tour, presented on Dec. 6 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. features five unique and beautifully appointed homes, a holiday gift market and festive seasonal fare at the Samford President’s Home. Proceeds from the tour provide scholarships for students with significant financial need and challenging circumstances. Advance tickets can be purchased for $25 through Dec. 4 online or at the door of featured homes during tour hours for $30.

Samford’s Young Alumni Board of Birmingham invites all young alumni to the Birmingham Young Alumni Christmas Party. Alumni will gather from 6-8 p.m. on Dec. 11 at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Westmoreland.

The Alabama Ballet will bring George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker to life at the Wright Center Dec. 14-16 and Dec. 21-23. Alabama Ballet is one of only eight companies in the world licensed by The Balanchine Trust to perform this holiday masterpiece. Ticket and show times are available online.

Opera Birmingham will share Sounds of the Season, a Dec. 16 concert of sacred and secular favorites. The 7:30 p.m. concert is in Brock Recital Hall. Tickets are available from Opera Birmingham. This year Opera Birmingham is partnering with the U.S. Marine Corps to provide toys for less fortunate children in the community this season through their Toys for Tots program. To participate, please bring a new, unwrapped toy to Sounds of the Season.

Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.