GCSU prepares for annual ‘Hanging of the Greens’ Christmas event

Georgia College and State University is preparing to celebrate the Christmas season with lights and holiday cheer with its annual "Hanging of the Greens."

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Christmas season is here, and communities around Middle Georgia are preparing to showcase their holiday lights.

Georgia College and State University is preparing to celebrate the Christmas season with lights and holiday cheer with its annual “Hanging of the Greens.”

Daniel McDonald, the school’s interim director of public affairs, says the event will be bigger than ever before.

“This is the 15th year we’ve done the hanging of the greens, and we’re going bigger than ever before,” McDonald said. “We’ll have an 18-foot tall, fully lit Christmas tree. That’s the first time we had one of these out here, but we’re also going to have a 300-foot-long tunnel of light that leads to the center of campus.”

Students are getting into the Christmas spirit by helping hang items and decorate the front of the campus.

Mass Communication Major Davis Forney says the decorations and lights have put students into the Christmas spirit during a tough week of finals.

“I think it’s awesome, because we haven’t had anything like this since COVID, so I think the fact that they’re bringing it back is going to be really good for the student body and just the culture that’s been really lacking for the last couple of years because of COVID,” Forney said.  “I think bringing something like this back will definitely get a lot of student involvement on campus.”

Campus President Cathy Cox says you will also have the chance to take pictures with Santa, and there will be several other activities for residents and students to get into the Christmas spirit, including a light ceremony and a chance to decorate Christmas ornaments.

McDonald says the event will not just give the joy of the holidays to students but also the community.

“It just couldn’t be a much better way to kind of renew that bond of the community and the college. The student community, the employee community down there, but most importantly share that with the local community and anyone who’s passing by and wants to see some of those holiday lights during this holiday season,” McDonald said.

The “Hanging of the Greens” event will start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday on the main campus. A lighting ceremony is set for 6:30.