Light the Way: A Family Tradition

Julianne Salame has been attending Light the Way for years. Although her view of it has broadened since becoming a student who helps plan the event, it’s still the start of the holiday season for her family.

给朱丽安·萨拉姆, a Communication Arts graduate student, Light the Way has been part of her family’s holiday experience since 2005, 那时她才六岁.

“I feel like this tradition has become such a huge part of my family," she explained.

That first Light the Way, which she attended with her sister, became one of many.

“It sort of became this unspoken tradition between my family,萨拉姆说。. “We fell in love with the kickoff tradition of everything.”

Salame has vivid memories of the first time she attended the event.

“I remember that we walked through campus, and they gave everybody a candle,” she fondly recalls. “We lit them all at the same time, and the tradition was that you lit each other’s candles. 它是如此美丽. The community was so tight-knit, and it was just a warm, heartfelt event. They had hot cocoa and I remember being super cold and just having a really great time.”

Those cold 11月 evenings throughout her childhood solidified another decision for Salame. 她知道uw, where she felt the community and love of family, was where she wanted to continue her education.

“Light the Way really impacted my decision to attend the University because I knew that those traditions would continue not only in my family, but throughout UIW,” she said. “That really helped me decide that I wanted to stay 关闭 to home, 关闭r to family and 关闭r to the community.”

Once she began her freshman year at UIW, her experiences at Light the Way changed in some ways. She joined the Office of Communications and Brand Marketing, the office that oversees planning the annual event, 作为一名学生工作者. Through that opportunity, her view of the event expanded. 

“It’s been eye-opening and exciting to see both sides of Light the Way, both as a guest and as someone helping to make the magic happen,萨拉姆说。. “这是社区的乐趣所在, and also the behind-the-scenes craziness that comes from the preparation. I realized how much time goes into making sure that everybody has a great, enjoyable experience.”

Although she has a bigger view of UIW’s celebration under the lights, it is still a major event for her own family. Because of the scheduling challenges that come with having a large family, the Salames started celebrating Thanksgiving the week before the actual holiday.

“Light the Way was that marker of ‘we're going to go have Thanksgiving dinner in the morning and then at night, we're going to go to campus to celebrate the kickoff of the Christmas season.’ It has always been a really huge start of our holiday season as a family.

“Everybody went from our dining room table to Light the Way, and it was this huge deal in my entire family, being together that night and having a really great time,萨拉姆说。. “在大学期间, 现在我在读研究生, it's become this time-honored tradition that we look forward to every year.”

The event has evolved from when Salame first attended, and her family is busier now. But her favorite part about Light the Way, outside of seeing the community come together, is still the moment the lights are turned on.

“它非常明亮, 非常欢迎, and it symbolizes the entire community as a whole coming together, where the Christmas spirit is in the air on campus and around the city,萨拉姆说。.

“I came to UIW because of the community and family atmosphere, and Light the Way is a huge display of that community. We have the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word who come, and it’s such a beautiful thing to see them all together. But Light the Way has become so much more than just the UIW community. It’s the kickoff to the holiday season. 它的家人. 它的朋友. 这是笑. 这是一场庆典.”

The 35th Annual Light the Way Holiday Festival takes place Saturday, Nov. 下午3点到9点半.m. 在华盛顿大学百老汇校区. 欲知详情，请浏览 菠菜评级网站.