By Julia Barth, Features Editor
Last Thursday Dec. 2, Canisius College’s Student Programming Board (SPB) hosted their annual Christmas celebration, “Griffmas.” The event ran from 6-9 p.m. and included an array of giveaways, food and activities for Canisius students to enjoy.
The Science Hall Commons was decorated for the holiday, and the event included a ceremonial tree lighting and blessing. This year, many students were able to attend and enjoy the event all together — something the school hasn’t really been able to do properly since 2019.
The main giveaway for the night was a red Griffmas-themed hoodie that seemed to be very popular among the students, given the lines that formed for them. SPB decided to push the giveaway of sweatshirts back to 6:30 p.m. in order for more students to join, as well as to allow the rest of attendees to enjoy the other activities they had set up.
Some of those other activities included riding the mechanical reindeer (a staple fan favorite) and using the giant Light Bright they had set up. Santa Claus also made an appearance, posing for pictures with Canisius students and riding the mechanical reindeer all night long.
SPB came through with other things to get students in the holiday spirit, including a hot chocolate station that had many toppings from marshmallows to chocolate syrup to crushed peppermint. There was also a cookie decorating station with frosting and sprinkles so that students could make their own personal designs and share a sweet treat with their friends. SPB provided an abundance of Paula’s Donuts donut holes with a variety of different flavors, and they had a station to decorate ornaments that students could take home to put on their trees.
For food, there were a few different options including chicken fingers and mac and cheese, as well as an eggplant burger as a meatless option. After the tree lighting, The Crescendonts — Canisius’s a capella group — put on a performance singing Christmas songs for the audience.
Students who attended seemed to really enjoy the event, with many walking around happy with their giveaways and the food, sporting smiles on their faces. Junior Hannah Fischer said she had a great time going with her roommates. She especially liked the caroling, hot chocolate and the sweatshirt, noting that the event was “a great way to gather everyone together on campus.”
The celebration was a much-needed distraction for students from the stress of the final weeks of classes as well as looming exams. It was a way for them to have fun, let loose and step away from their computers (even if just for an hour).
With the semester wrapping up, I think everyone is feeling a weight being lifted off of their shoulders and are excited to have a restful break. SPB put on an event that was a nice prelude to a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season with friends and family.
As this is the last edition for the fall, I hope everyone had a memorable and fulfilling semester. Personally, it has felt great to be back in classes, getting to see my professors, classmates and even strangers again, as well as actually getting to have a social life for the first time in what feels like forever. It is something I missed dearly last year, and not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate the experiences I’ve had at Canisius so far. Enjoy the holidays!