Sporting heavy winter coats and clutching cups of hot cocoa, roughly 300 NRCA family members gathered on the front lawn of the school on Monday, Dec. 2, to officially open the Christmas season together. The sixth annual NRCA Christmas Tree Lighting was a night filled with carols, cookies, candy canes, and, most importantly, community.
“In 2019, I had a dream about NRCA hosting an annual Christmas tree lighting, and after researching what it would take to pull off this type of event, I met with Dr. Mathes to share the idea,” said Tiffany Benson, Alumni and Student Relations Director.
“As we discussed the event, we saw a unique opportunity to have our entire school community come together to celebrate Christ’s birth. The Christmas tree lighting is a time for NRCA families to take a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the season to reflect together on what Christmas is really all about,” Benson explained. “The last thing we do before we count down to the lighting of the tree is read Luke 2. It is one of my favorite parts of the event because, as a school community, we get to listen and remember the incredible love it took for God to send His only Son, Jesus, to Earth to save us all.”
For some families, the event has become one of their favorite ways to celebrate the season. “We have been to every single Christmas tree lighting with our little ones since the tradition began—even when our youngest, Joy, was a little baby. It is one of our favorite Christmas traditions,” said Anna Puryear, alumna (2012), whose son is in first grade.
Puryear treasures the chance for her children to celebrate the holiday with their school community. “It’s just the most magical celebration with all of their little friends,” she said.
In the first year of the event, the tree was 22 feet tall. When NRCA celebrated the 25th anniversary of ministry in 2020, the school added three feet of greenery to the tree’s height. Today, at 25 feet tall, the tree stands as a beacon of Christmas joy in front of the school.
Setting up the main tree and decking the halls at NRCA is a major undertaking. “Leisha Hodgson leads the team for all of our inside decor, as well as our outside wreaths. She has been a huge part of the Christmas spirit team, adding new decorations the last couple of years, including the new trees in the recently renovated Sherrill Center for the Performing Arts,” Benson shared. Elizabeth Munn, an NRCA parent, has also shared her talents with NRCA by helping with the decor over the years.
“And the really special thing is that setting up all our Christmas decorations at NRCA is a student activity. We use our students in AP art and Student Leadership Academy to transform the school into a Christmas Wonderland. We love getting our students to be a part of that,” Benson said.
NRCA’s calendar overflows with holiday traditions in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Look for schoolwide event dates and details in the weekly News Blast and on Facebook and Instagram.
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