Christmas Decorations

From 1931, when the James D. Hoskins Library was completed, until 1954 when the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University Center was completed, a Christmas tree decorated by students was annually erected on the lawn of the Hoskins Library as a project of the All Students’ Club. A star was placed on the tower of Ayres Hall.

When the university center was completed, the traditional Christmas tree was moved to the lawn of the university center under the sponsorship of the university center. The tree was then decorated by lights and one ball for every year of the university’s existence, with a new ball added each year by a campus organization. The annual Christmas-tree tradition ceased in 1971, following a change in exam schedule from mid-December to the first week in December. It was revived in 1986 as an SGA project, again on the lawn of the university center, with Santa arriving by fire truck, escorted by police, to be greeted by UT cheerleaders. Santa and Chancellor Jack Reese lighted the 40-foot tree. In 1987 the early-December event featured the reading by Chancellor Reese of the story of the birth of Jesus from the Book of Matthew, followed by a reading of “T’was the Night Before Homecoming: The Story of a New Tree.” Mayor-elect Victor Ashe and SGA President Rusty Gray then led the audience in the singing of “O Christmas Tree,” after which Ashe lit the tree. In 1998, as part of the city of Knoxville’s Christmas in the City program, a lighted Christmas tree was placed on the top of Ayres tower, followed by other trees at later dates.

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Title Christmas Decorations
  • Author
  • Keywords Christmas Decorations
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
  • URL
  • Access Date July 20, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update October 5, 2018