Friends, family, students and alumni gathered in front of Lipscomb’s bell tower to usher in the Christmas spirit at this year’s Lighting of the Green Tuesday night.
Spectators traveled from near and far to witness the annual festivities. Some students simply left their dorms; other families drove across the state. Former Bison Riley Adkisson’s family traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to come watch Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith perform alongside Lipscomb’s choirs.
“My family drove for five hours for this,” Adkisson said while looking for them through the crowd.
Upon arrival, guests were greeted with twinkling lights and free hot chocolate. On the upper level of the Allen Arena parking garage, clips from family-favorite Christmas movies played in the background while visitors “ice skated.”
The holiday concert kicked off at 5:30 p.m. with a performance from Lipscomb Academy’s elementary choir, followed by Grant and Smith, who sang both original and traditional Christmas carols.
One of Grant’s originals included, “To Be Together,” a song she wrote about the presence of loved ones during the winter season. “It’s a song about being together, which is what matters most,” Grant said. “As I get older, I realize that’s what it’s all about.”
Grant and Smith stopped in Nashville mid-tour. “We’re going to 19 different cities,” Grant said, “but now we’re at Lipscomb!”
Other performances took place from winner of season nine of The Voice, Jordan Smith to Lipscomb University’s student choir.
The audience sang “Silent Night” as the final song of the evening.
President Lowry concluded the event with the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree, thus officially kicking off the Christmas season on Lipscomb’s campus.
Photos by Ben Davis