Christmas spirit descends on college campuses

With Christmas just 10 days away, many city colleges are in the festive mood with special Christmas games and holding choir contests. At the beginning of December itself,
students of St Johns Medical College created a 12-ft snow man, reindeer and jingle bells. The non-teaching staff and the  nursing college staged a musical on December 11.

“It is the time of the year when the entire campus comes together and gives performances,” said Jeson John, a student of St Johns Medical College.  “The students dress up as Santa during our Christmas celebration and distribute gifts to children of college staff. The student band performs Christmas carols,” he said.

Christ University has a wide range of Christmas-related programmes with cake-mixing topping the list. The event was held recently in the campus. “Along with the students, the professors used seven kinds of dry fruits which include dry figs, raisins, cashew nuts, almonds, candid ginger peel and black currents. All these dry fruits are soaked in wine, whiskey and scotch and preserved for a year which used in New Year’s cake next year,” said Rakshita, a student of Christ University.

Secret Santa is one of the popular practices adopted by many colleges. “The game is played during the first two weeks of December. The members of a class are randomly assigned as Secret Santa. The Santa sends gifts like chocolates, juice and earrings to students till the eve of Christmas,” said Divya Shenoy, a third year student of National Law School of India University (NLSIU).

Some colleges are conducting fund-raising events as part of their celebration. St Josephs College of Arts and Science conducted Humanitas, a concert at Mount Carmel College on December 13.

“Christmas is a time of giving. Unless we care about those suffering, the true meaning of Christmas won’t be achieved,” said Fr Ambrose Pinto, principal of St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science. “The funds raised in this concert will be send to Jesuit Refugee Services,” he said.