UNM’s first official ornament is now on sale at Your UNM Bookstore! Proceeds benefit the UNM Parent Association.

The dated ornament will be a campus treasure for students to collect during their college years and also makes a great gift for parents and family.

The 2008 ornament features UNM’s oldest tradition, the Hanging of the Greens, which began in the 1930s. The event was held this year Dec. 5. 

History is told that students would travel to the Sandia Mountains to gather greens to decorate the Student Union. They also sang carols, a key part of the tradition that continues to this day. Now more than two dozen student organizations create 10,000 luminarias to decorate the campus on the day of the event. Students, families, faculty and staff join carolers near Popejoy Hall and take a tour of the luminaria lit campus, winding back to University House where the president is presented with a wreath.

The ornament features a painting of University House aglow with luminarias. The painting and ornate frame are designed by New Mexico artist Jana Fothergill. It sells for $18.89 in honor of UNM’s founding year.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.