On the evening of December 4th, the Caney Creek community gathered to celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday and kick off the season. The event, coordinated by various campus’ departments, began at 4:30pm with the annual Christmas Pretties Program.
The Christmas Pretties Program is one of Alice Lloyd College’s most cherished traditions, dating back to 1917 when Mrs. Alice Lloyd and her mother, Ella Geddes, learned that few families on Caney Creek had ever celebrated Christmas. Determined to change that, they wrote to friends in Boston and across the Northeast, who sent dolls, toy trucks, mittens, candy, ornaments, and other “pretties” that students carefully wrapped and delivered, sometimes on horseback, to families throughout the mountains. That spirit of service continues today as ALC students spend months preparing nearly 3,000 gifts for more than a dozen local elementary schools, ensuring that the joy first shared on Caney Creek more than a century ago continues to reach new generations. This year, the children even got to meet a special guest: Santa Claus himself!
Following the Christmas Pretties Dinner, the Voices of Appalachia hosted their annual Christmas Concert in the Roop Auditorium. After the concert, the children gathered for pictures with Santa Claus in the Campbell Arts Center lobby before a special tree lighting ceremony and then fun and games in the Perry Campus Center accompanied by Christmas songs sung by ALC student Elijah Banks.
ALC student Micah Turner worked the event and says it brought joy to his heart. “I remember Christmas as a child and how wonderful the decoration, nativity scenes, and lights were. Christmas on Caney brought me a lovely nostalgic feeling.” Mrs. Kim Cornett, an organizer of the event, said the fun-filled night was really magical, “it was so nice to see the community come together and I’m glad we are able to host this festive event for the region each year.”