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'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the campus
Not a student was stirring, not even a grad.
Their textbooks were stacked by laptops with care,
In hopes that passing grades soon would be theirs.
This time of year, higher education marketers have a wonderful and fun way to spread holiday cheer, engage prospective students, reinforce school spirit, and showcase the student experience.
Here are some ways to make the most of holiday-themed content and activities in your university's marketing and communications.
Simon Fraser University is celebrating the holidays and their 60th birthday by asking students, staff, and faculty to share their favorite holiday traditions and activities.
Tree lighting event and activities
There’s no better way to kick off the holiday season than with a classic tradition: a Christmas tree lighting.
Whether live-streamed or recorded, a college or university tree lighting ceremony is a visually impactful opportunity to create beautiful and inspiring marketing content across multiple platforms.
Texas Christian University’s (TCU) Instagram video captures the joy and spectacle of a campus tree lighting event, complete with a visit from Santa Claus, live music, snacks, hot drinks, and fireworks.
Wittenberg University's “Season of Light” starts with a decades-old tradition that brings together their students, faculty, staff, and neighbors, with events including a tree lighting, festive music, crafts, and a church service.
Hold a holiday contest
The “ugliest” Christmas sweater. The architectural gingerbread house masterpiece. The brightest dorm-room decorations.
Holiday contests promote genuine student engagement and creativity, providing authentic, low-cost content that promotes student life at your school.
University of Ottawa’s Holiday Greeting Card Contest gives students a chance to win $2,000 by submitting original designs—with a theme of “what innovation means to you”—to represent the 2025 holiday card that will be sent by the school’s Vice-President of Research and Innovation.
Ontario Tech University’s Future Student Holiday Giveaway speaks directly to prospective students with weekly gifts—Amazon gift cards, Ontario Tech swag, Apply Watch—when they follow the school on Instagram, tag three friends in the comments, and fill out an entry form.
Host a holiday brunch, lunch, or dinner
Put your school’s warmth, community, and holiday cheer on full display with a celebratory meal!
Events like these provide shareable content outside the normal academic rigors of daily university life—especially if the event includes both students and faculty.
This creates a positive student-faculty relationship narrative that reinforces school spirit and appeals to prospective students looking for a welcoming community away from home.
A Yale University student shares his experience at the school’s formal and elegant holiday dinner, complete with an abundance of food and dessert, live entertainment, and wall-to-wall Christmas decorations.
St. Thomas University let their hair down and took to Instagram to celebrate the holidays with a casual and cozy “Christmas PJs and midnight breakfast” event.
Binge on Christmas movies
It’s exam time, so students are already under tremendous pressure. Add the stress of the holidays and you have the perfect recipe for burnout.
A college or university Christmas movie marathon highlights your school’s commitment to student wellness and campus social life. You can even add some extra holiday themes—wear a holiday sweater or PJs, free popcorn and cocoa, surprise gifts—to tap into students’ Christmas nostalgia.
Lakehead University in Canada coupled a Christmas Movie Marathon with an ornament-making event, asking students to visit the school’s Instagram story to vote on the movies to watch.
University of Utah's social media team asked members of their men’s basketball team to name their favorite Christmas movie, providing Utah students with recommendations on what they can watch over the holidays.
Embrace the infamous ugly Christmas sweater
Playful ugly Christmas sweater events and activities encourage students, faculty, and staff to share hilarious and self-deprecating photos, proving that an institution of higher learning can also be fun, approachable, and very human.
The University of Massachusetts Boston is getting into the spirit with their Ugly Sweater Fridays event, where students can take a picture of themselves decked out in their sparkly Christmas sweaters and possibly see themselves on campus screens.
DePaul University uses its own school-themed Ugly Sweater for a charitable cause, gifting it as a “thank you” for donations that support DePaul’s Basic Needs Hub.
Give back to the community
Colleges and universities can demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility, volunteerism, and ethical leadership.
It positions the school as not only an academic center of higher learning, but also as a values-driven institution that’s engaged with their community.
Seton Hall University encourages students to perform 12 Acts of Christmas Kindness throughout the holiday season, with suggestions ranging from volunteering at a homeless shelter to walking dogs at an animal shelter to simply thanking their parents for all they’ve done.
University of Toronto kicks off the holiday season with their annual toy and food drive, where donations can be dropped off in more than 30 campus locations.
Happy holidays to you and yours!
Holiday events and activities provide highly shareable photo and video opportunities to showcase your school’s spirit and culture.
It not only increases brand visibility, but it also makes your college or university appear warm, approachable, and committed to building a playful and inviting community—especially with prospective students.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get your lights and tinsel out; Christmas is only a few days away!
How does your school like to celebrate the festive season? Share your stories and pictures with us!