Lighting Up the Holidays

Join NMU as we continue the tradition of “Lighting Up the Holidays” with a virtual tree-lighting celebration on Tuesday, December 1st. Explore this website to find fun holiday crafts, a coupon for the NMU bookstore and even a virtual picture with Santa Claus!

Virtual Experiences

Holiday Crafts

Free Gifts + Experiences

President's Welcome

Greetings from the President

Season’s Greetings. Northern Michigan University has held the Lighting Up the Holidays for more than three decades, so we were determined that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to find a way to bring the University and community together for this annual tradition again this year.

We hope the children enjoy the Wildcat Willy coloring pages, directions for homemade ornaments, and virtual tree lighting ceremony. We hope parents enjoy the book coupon and opportunity to craft a Santa photo without putting your children at risk. The Lighting Up the Holidays event is a way for Northern to thank Marquette for its ongoing support.

We look forward to being together in-person next year at this time when we can once again light the big holiday tree outside the Northern Center, eat cookies, dance with Willy and Santa, and have fun. Until then, enjoy your holiday celebrations (but please stay safe while doing so).

Happy Holidays,
Fritz Erickson, NMU President

NMU's Department of Theatre and Dance is holding its annual "Letters to Santa" event virtually this year. If you submit a letter, you will not only receive a note back from Santa himself, but you'll also receive a promo code for one free ticket to any of the department's shows for the 2020-21 season.

Give the gift of reading this holiday season. Simply print out this coupon using the PDF link below and present it at the NMU bookstore to receive a free children’s book between December 4 and December 18.

Download these images, set them as your Zoom background, and take a virtual photo with Santa (or Wildcat Willy!) for your holiday cards.

Download these virtual backgrounds to make your Zoom calls more festive!

Want to make a fun memory while you are at home this holiday season? We've prepared an NMU do-it-yourself ornament kit! Below are the instuctions and template you'll need to create these fun ornaments. Remember to make it your own by adding extra decorations, using your favorite colors, and anything else creative you can think of!

O val ornament instructions
O val ornament template (green and gold)
O val ornament template (black and white)