The lights are up, mulled cider is flowing and festive songs are
springing up all over Surge, the student radio station. It must be Christmas time on campus.
I am a staunch believer that nothing Christmassy should be experienced
before 1 December. On that day, the advent calendars can come out, decorations
can be hung and ‘Fairytale of New York’ can be sung wildly in the shower as
often as desired.
Christmas came early(ish) to the University of Southampton when the
lights were turned on last week complete with snow, mince pies and a market.
Since then, the University has been in a festive mood, and with only two more
weeks of term-time left it’s only right that we embrace all things merry. The
fact that you leave University to go home in the second week of December means
that you need to make the most of being surrounded by your friends as much as
possible, which means starting your celebrations at the first opportunity.
Which is why, on 1 December, my flatmate Rachel and I could be found decorating
our flat to the sounds of Chris de Burgh and Slade.
Campus Christmas lights looking magical at night
My flat is now adorned with foil decorations that look like they’ve
come straight out of a bad 1970s sitcom, and I have already indulged in my
first mince pie of the season. Rekorderlig winter cider (served hot, of course)
is my new favourite drink of choice, and my Christmas playlist is on repeat on
my iPod in a bid to get me in the
Christmas spirit – with everything from the Jackson 5 to the Philharmonic orchestra.
In my first year my flatmates and I indulged in a homemade Christmas dinner
on a budget – the first of many!
University at Christmas time becomes such a hub of seasonal activity
that there is something for everyone in the run up to the Christmas period. I
have plenty of exciting events planned over the next week and a half before
heading back to Kent. Despite having mountains of work to do in the form of
preparing January deadlines (and I will no doubt be spending most of my time in
the library), Christmas wouldn’t be the same if this wasn’t twinned with
festive treats to keep me going!
On Tuesday 4 December I attended the Humanities and Social Sciences
Christmas Ball – this was my fourth Christmas ball and it was a fantastic event
(so a huge thank you to those who organised the whole thing!) It was a great
night, as we enjoyed live music, mulled wine and candy floss – not to mention
the opportunity to dress in our finest!
Provenance nightclub in the city centre was decked out in all its
splendour for the Ball
The Wessex Scene held a Relaunch Party in the Bridge on Friday 30
November which was also a success and gave us the opportunity to showcase our
new designs and to celebrate with readers and contributors. We also had some
live entertainment in the form of Dan Tovey, Triassic (performing their acoustic set) and #Tags – all of whom
attend or have attended the University. There’s nothing quite like home grown
talent!
The Wessex Scene Relaunch Party made use of the Bridge Bar and went
down well with everyone who attended!
As for future events, I’m planning on watching It’s a Wonderful Life
at Union Films on Tuesday 11th, ice skating at the Winchester market
later in the week and heading out for a Christmas meal with my flatmate on the
Friday before taking the rest of the day off to go to the German market in West
Quay. I think that’s enough festive cheer to counteract the work that my master’s
degree has presented me with!
Christmas at University is a different kind of occasion to the somewhat
sophisticated and well-organised event that you may be used to at home, under
the careful preparation of your parents. It is now that you realise the
Christmas period is, really, about spending time with the people that you love,
and your friends and flatmates become your family. Christmas dinners are
planned weeks in advance using as many discount vouchers as possible, and
Secret Santa provides everyone with the ability to give without being out of
pocket. All in all, it’s an experience worth savouring – so my advice would be
to cram as much in to the next few weeks as possible.
Joanne
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