Big Blue Christmas "Elf-stravaganza" Event Offers Holiday-Themed Family Fun

12/03/2015 Written by: Renee Rhodes

LCU’s third annual Big Blue Christmas drew students, families, and the Lubbock community to an “Elf-stravaganza” on the evening of Dec. 1, 2015 for crafts, photo opportunities, music, and the Lighting of the Chap.

The campus mall featured recognizable locations from popular Christmas movie, Elf – including the Candy Cane Forest and Sea of Gumdrops and the World’s Greatest Cup of Coffee – as well as fire pits, hot beverages, and food options. For the first hour, families had the opportunity to enjoy a special Christmas dinner from Aramark, LCU's food service provider, and pictures with Santa in the Betty Hancock Parlor.

Buddy the Elf himself, played by David Fraze, welcomed families into the Baker Conference Center, which was decked to look like Gimbel’s Department Store, complete with paper chains, paper snowflakes, ice sculptures, and a LEGO Empire State Building. Families could participate in crafts like making elf puppets, good luck gumdrop baggies, or decorating cookies.

The Student Union Building (SUB) was divided into two film locations: Arendelle and Whoville. The Grinch came down from his mountain and posed for photo opportunities on one end of the SUB, and Whoville was filled with Seuss-style crafts for kids and their families. Arendelle had games of its own from building marshmallow snowmen to a snowball toss, while the snow sisters, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, accompanied by Kristoff and Olaf, joined the festivities for pictures and lots of warm hugs.

Throughout the evening, LCU’s music groups – Jazz Band, Forte, Praise choir, and more – performed songs of the season on the steps of the McDonald Moody Auditorium. The evening culminated with a countdown to the Lighting of the Chap and Christmas tree outside the Moody auditorium. Afterwards, “Elf” was screened in the SUB.

Big Blue Christmas was a group effort coordinated by Terri Warren, Special Events Coordinator in MarCom, made possible with significant volunteer help from students, faculty, and staff from all across campus.