Bright lights and festive carols are always among the first harbingers of the holidays, including West Virginia Universitys holiday season, which officially launches Monday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. with the annual Woodburn Hall lighting ceremony.

Before the lights on historic Woodburn Hall are lit, WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. and Student Administration President David Workman will offer remarks, and the Morgantown High School Images/Vocal Jazz will perform holiday songs.

Susan B. Hardesty, chair of the Mountaineer Parents Club, will help Ashley Deal, a WVU Childrens Hospital patient, turn on Woodburns lights. Afterwards, MHS Images/Vocal Jazz and the MHS pep band will lead a sing-a-long of holiday favorites.

A reception in E. Moore Hall will follow the ceremony.

The Woodburn Hall lighting tradition dates back to the 1987-88 academic year.