First-Year Holiday Joy

In early December, first-year students experienced their initiation into the joys of Holiday Dinner, a Yale tradition. Since Commons closed in 2017, first-year students have been hosted at Yale on York, a popular venue for departmental events, that was decorated beautifully in a winter wonderland theme with twinkling lights, ice sculptures, poinsettias, and evergreens.

Holiday Dinner is a true collaboration between Student Dining and Catering, and provides an opportunity for their collective talents to shine. The menu’s emphasis was both seasonal and global - carving stations, tiers of roasted vegetables, charcuterie and cheeses appeared alongside a fresh pasta station, paella, sushi, and steamed bao buns. All great dinner celebrations end in something sweet; here, a custom hot chocolate bar with pastries and confectionery expertly made by the Bake Shop.

The evening’s highlight was a “Festival of Comestibles,” a moving feast brought out to the rhythm of a marching band. Halfway through dinner, held aloft by members of our energetic team, marched (and danced) in an ice sleigh loaded with chilled shellfish cocktail, a vegetable carvery, an 8’ long challah, and roasted turkeys, creating a true wow factor and plenty of delight for our merry student diners!