It’s that time of year again at Gwynedd, so here’s a recap of a festive past couple weeks! Gwynedd makes sure to uphold lots of fun traditions around the holidays but it’s also important for us to remember the reason for the season. As fun as exchanging gifts and baking cookies can be, the real focus of December is meant to be on the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ. Although the holidays are an exciting time for many people, they can also be a difficult time for many families. So, this year, instead of getting wrapped up in the idea of Christmas, it is foremost important that we keep each other in our thoughts and prayers. GMA made sure to prioritize doing just that this year by continuing the annual Giving Tree. The Giving Tree is a way for Gwynedd students and staff to show their mercy values to people who are struggling during the holiday season. The gifts donated go to Mercy Neighborhood Ministries, support the Toys for Tots program through the Travis Manion foundation, and children from Mercy Hospice.
Another GMA tradition is the Christmas Social hosted by the student council, where students, staff, and faculty spend some time with each other doing fun activities like watching movies and making smores. One of everyone’s favorite traditions is the Candlelight ceremony. Candlelight is one of Gwynedd’s ongoing celebrations where the community is invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. During the event there is a student procession and a live concert that involves students in the evening and gives them a role in such a significant part of Advent.
Following a busy month of hard work, Gwynedd celebrated a Mercy Christmas to commend Christmas break. Mercy Christmas is a wonderful day for the school to come together in liturgy, music and games before the new year starts. To begin the day, there was a beautiful liturgy that left everyone feeling full of spirit, which was followed by games and music in the PAC. The Mercy Christmas also invited back GMA alumnae in their college years. The alumnae were welcomed back with open arms by the current students and staff and were treated to a delicious breakfast. During the day, the students and faculty gathered in the halls to clap for GMA’s class of 2020, who never fully got a proper walk out due to the pandemic. The half day ended with a very spirited Alma Mater, the last one of 2023. Ultimately, the Mercy Christmas was very successful, as was the month of December at Gwynedd, full of holiday cheer and giving back to the community!
Remember to have a safe and happy holiday and we can’t wait to see you in 2024!
