Words by Christina Loberti
As Thanksgiving break has come to an end, holiday spirit has begun to arise at Emmanuel College. Festive decorations have been placed around campus such as the Nativity scene on the quad, inflatable Santa Claus’s and Christmas trees set up in the Jean Yawkey Center (JYC), along with poinsettias and stockings strung in the Marian Dining Hall.
Emmanuel began kicking off their winter festivities with the annual tree lighting ceremony held at the campus quad on Thursday December 2 at 4:00pm.
Around 70 students gathered at the event. Standing around the tree while enjoying the company of others, students found themselves in holiday suspense waiting for the tree to be lit. The celebration began with Dean Forry giving a small introduction. She then handed off the stage to three members of the Emmanuel community to read holiday poems. One poem that was read was 1992 by Richard Perrotti.
Once the poems were complete, it was time to officially light the tree. A cheerful countdown was announced by all and suddenly, the tree stood glowing in the quad. An applause arose and students were offered by Dean Forry to enjoy self-serve hot chocolate and cookies.
The next day, Friday, December 3 at 7:00pm the all female a capella group For Good Measure hosted their winter showcase featuring the Suffolk Ramifications and the Simmons Sirens.
Approximately 100 students, friends, and family members packed the 1st floor of the JYC to watch the night’s performances. All seats were filled before the concert began. Other attendees stood or watched from the balcony on the second floor of the JYC.
Senior Katie Spaulding, music director for For Good Measure introduced the group and stated that this was their “first on campus concert in two years.” Group members were dressed in festive colors and visibly excited to participate in their first concert of the semester.
For Good Measure opened the show singing the song “Edge of 17” by Stevie Nicks with a solo performed by Grace Bevilacqua.
Following “Edge of 17” was the song “Movement” by Hozier. Katherine McMullen sophomore at Emmanuel was the soloist for this beautiful piece.
After For Good Measure sang their two songs, the Suffolk Ramifications and the Simons Sirens entered the stage one after another. The Ramifications sang “American Boy” by Estelle and “Traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo. The Sirens sang “Little Me” by Little Mix, “No Peace” by Sam Smith, and an Ariana Grande Medley piece.
Finally, For Good Measure entered back to the stage and sang three more pieces to close out the show.
Together the group sang two holiday songs. “White Winter Hymnal” composed by Robin Pecknold, and “Mary, Did You Know?” written by Mark Lowry.
For their final piece, For Good Measure alumni in the audience were invited to join the stage and sing along to “Glorious” by Foxes featuring freshman soloist Fiona Bautista.
A great applause and many cheers were given to all group members. Their excellent performances captivated audience members for a joyful holiday showcase.
Overall, the week of December 1 was a great start to the holiday season at Emmanuel as the semester approaches an end.
The Hub 
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