christmas! (baby please come to the new haven green)
I've never been to a Christmas tree lighting. I don't know exactly why; I'm sure there are tons of tree lightings all across Dallas, with it being such a big city and all. Despite coming into the event nervous and unsure of what to expect, I found New Haven's lighting to be a beautiful event that highlighted the diversity of the city and the love its residents have for it.
The first thing I noticed was the number of children at this event. On Yale's campus, I hardly ever see children. Sometimes I'll see a father tossing a ball with his son on Cross Campus or some parents pushing their daughter on a stroller through Beinecke Plaza. But on the Green, I saw tons of children dancing in the grass, chasing each other in these chaotic loops, on their parents' shoulders watching the performers on stage. A lot of the events were targeted towards children; the petting zoo was surrounded by kids reaching over the fencing to pet goats and donkeys, a long line stretched from Santa's sleigh as kids eagerly waited to tell the jolly red-suited man what they wanted for Christmas, and vendors stood along the Green's paths selling light-up toys.
On more of the commercial side, small New Haven businesses were showcased through the market held on the Green. Small tent-like structures were set up along the Green's paths, and the paths themselves were lit by torch-like lights. It was an inviting environment that highlighted the community of the city. The news presence seemed to emphasize the community aspect of the event, too; television station News 8 was there documenting the event and had set up the stage where there were performers (children's choirs, an absolutely fabulous duo called Black Nativity, and a quartet featuring a tap dancer) as well as the jumbotron on which we could see what those at home were watching on Channel 8. I also saw a woman holding an Univisión microphone as I walked along the tented paths, a man holding a cell phone following her, seemingly recording for the Spanish-speaking news station (which I am all-too familiar with since that's all my mom watches back at home).
I left the Green with a warm feeling of home. I didn't consider New Haven as my new home—my new city—until the tree lighting, until I got to see this huge public space being used to bring people together.
One last thing I'd like to say about the tree lighting is that I got to experience the town/gown relationship between New Haven and Yale firsthand. When I went to a tent giving out free hot chocolate, the man handing out the drinks was passing one to me when he saw my Yale sweatshirt. He asked, "Are you from Yale?" and when I said yes, he jokingly said "That'll be $75," before handing me the drink. From this interaction, I can hypothesize that his understanding of Yale students is that they're all rich and don't deserve or need free things like a cup of hot chocolate. I don't find this really fair since 56% of Yale students receive financial aid (I'm one of them), but I can understand his perspective. As a first-generation student of color, I sometimes feel extra aware of the way I'm different from my peers. After all, 56% of students receiving some kind of financial aid means that 44% aren't.
All in all, I thought the tree lighting was an excellent event, a wonderful way to utilize the New Haven Green space. This experience could serve as a case study for our group project since we're focusing on the Green and how it functions as a public space. My experience with this event in combination with records of other events (through newspaper articles, for example) and more of our own observations would allow us to analyze and critique the Green as a public space.
P.S. The title is a play on the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)'' by Mariah Carey, one of my favorite Christmas songs.