Last Friday night, Nov. 18, a couple of friends and I drove downtown to see the tree lighting ceremony at Campus Martius. Once we got downtown and parked, a good mile from Campus Martius, I saw many people just walking around and trying to find a place to eat. As we walked closer to the actual tree, it became hard to walk at times because there were just so many people milling about in excitement.

I had never been to Campus Martius for the tree lighting before, which is why I was so surprised by just how many people were not only near the tree but also in the surrounding areas. It was really good to see and made the whole experience much more exciting and fun. After a good 15 to 20 minutes of wading through people, we finally reached Campus Martius. The tree was gorgeous, lit up with all different colored lights and topped with a silver star topper. Not only was this tree awesome, so were all the other trees and holiday decorations in and around Campus Martius, wrapped in colored lights from top to bottom.

The tree lighting ceremony also marked the opening of the Campus Martius Ice Rink, which is an iconic part of winter downtown. Between the tree lighting and the ice rink opening, the holiday spirit was high and infectious. The whole event surpassed my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed kicking off the holiday season downtown with people that enjoy the holidays just as much as I do. I am sure if I have the chance next year, I will definitely make an effort to go to the tree lighting ceremony and enjoy the downtown holiday spirit.

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Will Muawad '17