Jack Crowley ‘24 | Gavin Schmidt ‘24 | Brendan Schlitt ‘24
As the holiday season approaches, EA is striving to continue its regular Christmas traditions, including the Lessons and Carols chapel, Scrooge chapel, and the Christmas tree lighting. Due to the recent decision to keep the Upper School students virtual through winter break, plans for the Christmas traditions are again being revised. Michael Letts, Head of Upper School, shares, “I do not think that any of these events will be cancelled or postponed, but they certainly will look a little bit different.”
Photo courtesy of Ashley Kennedy
Lessons and Carols has consistently been an event that unites the EA community one last time before everyone leaves for winter break. Elizabeth Boruff ‘23 says, “Lessons and Carols is just a beautiful tradition that’s a wonderful way to begin break. It brings everyone together regardless of their religious beliefs and allows everyone to forget about their exams, tests, or other stresses before leaving campus for the holidays.” While this special chapel will still happen, leaders of the EA community are figuring out how to hold it online.
The Scrooge chapel has also always been a memorable part of the holiday season at EA. Many community members feel that this is one of Episcopal’s core traditions, and they think that the Christmas celebrations would seem incomplete without it. Letts observes, “Scrooge chapel is always a highlight of the year. It’s a very festive chapel and a fantastic way to go into Christmas break.” Students also consider the Scrooge chapel to be one of the best parts of the holiday season. Boruff comments, “I love the Scrooge chapel because it brings a cozy and meaningful end to the first semester. It’s truly a tradition that really brings joy to everyone, no matter what holiday traditions you celebrate at home.”
The Scrooge chapel will happen this year in the form of a video presentation, a solution developed by the theater department along with approval from the EAPA. Clay explains that they will “put together a retrospective of all the other Scrooge chapels and splice together interviews, clips, and footage of Scrooge chapels in the past, and maybe even make it a little interactive.”
Another community favorite is the Christmas tree lighting. Maddy Mitchell ‘22 says, “I have always loved the Christmas tree lighting because I like the great food, the Christmas music, the animals, and hanging out with my friends.” Pepper Claytor ‘23 adds, “I really like the Christmas tree lighting because I feel like we don’t get a lot of opportunities for the Lower, Middle, and Upper schools to come together and celebrate, and the tree lighting is a great way to do that.”
Like the Lessons and Carols chapel and the Scrooge chapel, the Christmas tree lighting will happen virtually. Letts explains, “We’re working on some larger Christmas tree or campus light show now.” However, he notes that community leaders are continuing to finalize the details of the changed tradition. Mia Cabral ‘22 is excited that EA is planning to still have the tree lighting, saying, “The Christmas tree lighting is really special to me, and I just love seeing the tree go up with all the chains around it.”