The academic quad appeared merry and bright on Friday, Dec. 13 as streamers lined the railings of the A, B and C buildings and a holiday tree with colorful ornaments stood in the center.

To join in on the festivities, students were encouraged to wear “ugly Christmas sweaters,” eat candy canes, drink hot chocolate provided by Leadership and take Polaroid pictures by the tree. Bull Spirit commissioner senior Justin Cena wore a jolly Santa Claus costume while fellow commissioners senior Kimberly Zhong and junior Priscilla Phua took photos of students.

According to Bull Spirit commissioner sophomore Bar Yosef, the decorating was made possible by a collaboration between the members of Bull Spirit commission and 2016 class officers. The students transformed the campus on the night of Dec. 12 and the decorations will remain in the quad through finals week to create a welcoming atmosphere for students and staff.

“We’re doing this to raise people’s spirit because there’s a lot of stress on campus right now,” Yosef said. “People can decorate ornaments to put on the tree, and they can take them off after school on Thursday if they want to keep them.”

While some students used plastic ornaments, stickers and markers to personalize a special ornament, others took to pen and paper use to write a letter to Santa Claus.

“I wrote a letter to Santa saying how much I love Christmas,” senior Jui Sarwate said. “And then I took a picture of my letter, because I take pictures every single year. Before Santa and after Santa.”

Even with final exams, students still haven’t lost the holiday spirit from their childhood.