Valparaiso University is preparing to welcome students, faculty, staff, and the broader community to another season of festive events, kicking off with the annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026, at 5 p.m.
Since 2024, a 20 foot tall tree emitting over 4,000 programmable LED lights has stood outside the Gellerson Engineering and Mathematics Center. This year, that tree takes center stage on campus between the Harre Union and the Chapel of the Resurrection, celebrating both the holidays, as well as the creativity, skill and passion of the students.
Electrical engineering major Leah Pfister ‘27, came up with the idea for the project after attending the 2023 Tree Lighting ceremony and realizing how her own skills and interests could create an entirely unique experience. With research and the help of her father, with whom she has operated similar light systems at their home for several years, she was able to come up with a plan.
Fellow student Mason Pacyga ‘27 joined the project in spring of 2024, but even with his help and the University’s backing, turning the plan into a reality was a year-long effort.
“We hand-inserted 4,800 lights into the strips. It was a lot of manual labor that first year,” Pfister said. “We had to go through and punch every single hole for every single light.
The current tree comprises a 20-foot radio tower inserted into a reused 10-foot trampoline base. The 48 LED strips that bring the construction to life must be carefully aligned and pulled taut from top to bottom in an assembly process that spanned three days. Finally, the entire assembly rests on a portable concrete square designed by Valpo’s civil engineering organization, the American Society of Civil Engineers and transported via forklift by the University’s facilities management team.
The construction itself is only one part of the equation. Pfister and Pacyga program the light displays using xLights, a free, open-source program for outdoor light management. Working with a digital copy of the structure, the two are able to add patterns, effects, and time the whole show to the music of their choice. According to Pfister and Pacyga, while the process is ultimately a form of programming, the experience is much more akin to video editing than traditional, hard programming that they may use in class, creating visuals that work well with the non-standard display.
Video editing on a nonstandard display has been just one of the skills that Pfister and Pacyga have had to sharpen over their three years of operating the tree. General project management, budgeting, communication, and teambuilding with partners and stakeholders across faculty, staff and fellow students have been an indispensable part of making this holiday magic come to life. It’s also been the kind of experience that can boost their careers after graduation this spring.
“Employers very much want to see that engineering students have used their expertise outside of the classroom, because it gives them the opportunity to face the sort of real-world technical and non-technical challenges that no classroom activity can fully replicate,” College of Engineering Dean Doug Tougaw said.
For now though, Pfister and Pacyga can look forward to their project becoming an official part of the Valpo tradition that inspired it in the first place.
“We’ve heard a lot of great things from professors and their families who drove by and saw the tree in previous years,” Pacyga said. “We’re excited that there will be more people at the actual tree lighting ceremony, and it’ll be great to be a bigger part of the whole community event.”
The annual Tree Lighting begins at 5 p.m. in the University’s Harre Union, with the actual activation of the tree taking place once outdoor conditions are dark enough. Other attractions of the event will include cookies, hot chocolate, and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
