A reindeer and the Claus couple will be cheerfully greeting students and members of the TCU community at the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony Dec. 3.

The tree lighting ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the campus commons.

In addition to the reindeer and an ice rink, the ceremony will include a trackless train that will be open for rides around the campus commons, said Taylor Qualls, theCrew campus events chair and senior art history major.

Students can also expect to see a giant mistletoe bouquet, a coffee station and a plentiful amount of Christmas cookies.

The illustrious tree, found in the campus commons outside Brown-Lupton University Union, is shipped from Michigan. The tree undergoes a freezing process and is dropped in Lake Michigan to preserve the tree, Qualls said.

Order of Omega will also be collecting wrapped gifts for Child Protective Services in Forth Worth.

Cody Westphal, Student Government Association president, said the lighting ceremony is important to TCU students and the community.

“I think our college experiences, when we reflect years later, are shaped by various moments and events—it is my opinion that this event is one of the things that will stay with students for years to come,” he said.

Although theCrew organizes the ceremony, Westphal said SGA will be handing out hot chocolate in an effort to reach out to those they represent.

“TCU is extremely proud of how much of a family we are, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the commons at the Christmas tree lighting,” he said. “There is a spirit of love and celebration in the air and it sure is hard to forget.”