At long last the sweltering heat of summer has bowed to the burnt oranges and biting breath of autumn. As the whisper of snowfall descends from the Sandia peaks, ‘tis the season to participate in UNM's oldest student run campus tradition, the "Hanging of the Greens."

The event is organized by the UNM Mortar Board Senior Honor Society which provides student organizations with the necessary sand, bags and candles to place more than 13,000 luminarias about campus, transforming the university into a glowing spectacle.

The event begins outside the UNM Bookstore on Friday, Dec. 3, beginning at 5:45 p.m. with the caroling tour beginning shortly thereafter. Hot chocolate and biscochitos will be served outside the Bookstore, and the caroling tour will conclude with a reception at University House and the traditional presentation of the wreath.

In conjunction with the Hanging of the Greens, the President's Office is hosting an open house reception at University House from 6-8 p.m., where hot chocolate, spiced cider and delicious biscochitos will be served. The entire UNM community is invited and attendees are asked to bring an unwrapped children's book to place under the University House tree. Books will be donated to UNM Children's Hospital.

Hanging of the Greens has been a tradition since Lena C. Clauve, former UNM student and UNM Dean of Women, began it in the 1930s. The tradition started with students driving to the Sandia Mountains, where they would gather greenery which they would use to decorate the Student Union Building.

Story by Kirsten Crocker