Celebrating the Season Together: Chatham Hall’s Beloved Holiday Traditions

The holiday season at Chatham Hall is filled with joy, reflection, and the deep-rooted traditions that bring our community together in meaningful and memorable ways. From century-old customs to new moments of connection, December on campus shines with the warmth and spirit that make Chatham Hall so special. This year, students, employees, families, and neighbors joined in a series of celebrations, each with its own enduring charm.

On Friday, December 5, Chatham Hall welcomed the Advent season in St. Mary’s Chapel, made even more fitting by the wintry weather that shifted our service to the afternoon.

Our Advent Service united the community in a celebration of light, hope, and renewal. Opening music set a reflective tone, followed by Jane Goodall’s inspiring reminder that even the smallest actions can spark light in the darkest moments. Tammy and Dan Waters lit the Advent Candle of Hope, with Jane Wu kindling the first flame, and the community joined in singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

Interfaith readings from the Baha’i, Islamic, and Christian traditions highlighted light as a universal symbol of peace. Chaplain Barksdale offered an embodied spiritual practice, while student leaders guided a heartfelt community prayer. Howard Thurman’s I Will Light Candles encouraged all of us to carry hope and justice into the world.

This year also brought a new Advent ( please don’t call it a tradition) tradition: contemplative messages and native animal imagery wrapped around the Chapel’s windows. Students who engaged were invited to enter a daily drawing—much like an Advent calendar—adding an element of joyful anticipation throughout the week.

Following our Advent service, we joined the town for Christmas in Historic Chatham, a beloved celebration that lights up Main Street each year. Chatham Hall was honored to participate once again alongside local businesses, schools, and community groups.

From the courthouse steps, the night unfolded with lantern-lighting, carols, and the glow of the community tree. Rector Sara Stephenson carried the lantern for Chatham Hall, helping illuminate Main Street in a shared gesture of hope. The evening continued with the traditional burning of the Yule Log, led by the Boy Scouts, while warm cider and cookies, served by the Everyone Youth Community (EYC), kept spirits high.

Each December, Decoration Day transforms the campus into a festive wonderland. Every class plays a unique role in bringing the season to life:

These traditions are lovingly shepherded by Class Sponsors, faculty, and our Keeper of Traditions, Mrs. Sheppard Morrison, whose guidance ensures this community-wide transformation shines year after year.

Senior Night in the Well: A Night of Wonder

One of the most anticipated traditions, Senior Night in the Well, brings glowing festivity to Pruden Hall. Seniors and their faculty sponsors create a magical setting throughout the Arcade, Well, and front hall. The evening features a senior-led skit and carols

Senior Night in the Well and Decoration Day all culminate in the joyful exchange of Secret Santa gifts, a week-long activity led by our Student Activities Coordinator, Emma Liss,  and the reveal of the Senior Night in the Well t-shirt design.

Our annual Lessons & Carols service in St. Mary’s Chapel remains one of the most meaningful gatherings of the season. Rooted in the Anglican tradition begun in 1880, this service intertwines Scripture with music from Saint Mary’s Choir and student soloists.

Readers representing each class, the faculty, alumnae, trustees, the Chaplain, and the Rector tell the Christmas story through nine lessons. The evening ends with the community stepping silently into the night outside Pruden Hall to sing "Silent Night" by candlelight, a moment of serenity cherished by generations.

After Lessons & Carols, students and advisors gather in Yardley Hall for our elegant Christmas Dinner. With white linens, glowing candles, and Christmas-tree-folded napkins, the evening feels both festive and warm. The celebration ends with Cherries Jubilee, flambéed and served over ice cream—a spectacular flourish everyone looks forward to.

 

For more than 100 years, Red & Green Day has brought spirited fun to campus. Originally designed to brighten spirits a month before students departed for Christmas (it occurred around Thanksgiving, long before we had a Thanksgiving break), the celebration continues today, one week before Winter Break.

Students, faculty, and staff dress head-to-toe in vibrant red and green, often in wildly creative combinations, marking the final stretch of the semester with laughter, joy, and tradition.

On the night before Winter Break, the community gathers in St. Mary’s Chapel for the Christmas Pageant and Eucharist Service. Students share their gifts as dancers, choir members, actors, and narrators in a moving retelling of the Nativity.

One of the school’s highest honors is being selected to portray the Madonna–the identity is revealed in the pageant, and the student chosen only knows minutes before the performance. The night concludes with a festive breakfast for dinner in Yardley Hall.

As the final Advent candles of hope, peace, joy, and love are lit, we are reminded of the deeper meaning of the season:

From candlelit windows to jubilant carols, from class traditions to community celebrations, the holiday season at Chatham Hall is a vibrant tapestry woven by generations of students and educators. Each tradition, whether a century old or newly emerging, reinforces the sense of belonging, purpose, and joy that defines our school.

As we close another year together, we celebrate not only the traditions themselves but the community that makes them shine.

 

Happy Holidays from Chatham Hall! May the season bring peace, hope, and light to all.