Holiday spirit was in the air as Peddie students gathered together for Vespers on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Peddie hosted the annual ceremony at the Ayer Memorial Chapel to celebrate the holiday season. The Peddie community came together for a night of music, holiday readings, and of course, a visit from Santa Claus.

The ceremony began with a musical prelude of holiday music performed by the Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Alan Michaels. Some of the pieces played included parts of the Nutcracker Suite, a traditional holiday classic.

After the opening music, the congregation was asked to rise, lift their voices, and sing O Come, All Ye Faithful. Other musical performances directed by Marisa Green that followed were done by The Acafellas, The Treblemakers, The Peddie Singers, and the entire Peddie chorus.

This year’s Vespers service featured a much larger Chamber Orchestra than previous years.

“With the growth of Peddie’s music program as a whole, it is wonderful to see that the amount of students performing at Vespers is growing too,” Green said.

In between performances, bible verses, poems, and short Christmas stories were read by seniors: Michael Peters ’16, Kelsie Sirak ’16, Kelly Coyle ’16, Kat Drake ’16, Rebecca Diluzio ’16, and Christopher Albino ’16. A fan favorite short story entitled “Yes, Virginia” read by Rebecca Diluzio ’16 warmed the hearts of everyone attending the service.

“The story about a young girl still believing in Santa Claus was my favorite reading of the night,” said an anonymous Peddie parent. “It reminds me of my children waiting for Santa Claus when they were younger and that the Christmas spirit…will live forever.”

One of the most entertaining parts of the night was the visit from Santa Claus for all the young children in the audience. After their lively performance of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, the Peddie children were greeted by Santa Claus marching down the center aisle of the chapel ready to read a Christmas tale.

David and Becky Harris ‘19 both reminisced about their former experiences as Peddie children performing and listening to a story read by Santa Claus.

“We were always in the audiences watching the older kids perform and I’m excited to finally get to be a part of the whole production”  Becky Harris ’19 said.

“I’m happy to be able to perform at Vespers for the first time and make my mark on this Peddie tradition,” Femia Tonelli ’19 agreed with Harris.

This year’s Candlelight Vespers ceremony carried on a famous Peddie tradition and got students and their attending family members ready for winter break, the holiday season, and the new year in 2016.