The winter holiday season is upon us once again — what a great time to be an Iowa Stater.

The best part of the holiday season is that no matter what your particular religious preference, it is a season for all to gather together and celebrate good will, togetherness and peace at the 54th annual Festival of Lights.

This is when we all get together and light up the campus, enjoy cookies and hot chocolate, sing songs and revel in the spirit of the season.

With only a few weeks left to the semester, now will be a great time to take part in one of Iowa State’s great long-running traditions.

If you missed out on Homecoming or any of the traditions surrounding Halloween, it is not too late to get assimilated into Iowa State folkways.

Jump in with both feet, abandon your inhibitions and give in to the boundless joy of the holidays.

In this age of crass commercialism and easy virtue, one can easily become cynical in the face of pre-packaged consumer joy.

That is why it is always nice to know you can fall back on a long-standing tradition that isn’t all about what to buy and how much.

The Festival of Lights is all about the joy of the season the way your grandparents experienced it.

The only difference is we downplay the association with Christmas as much as possible in order to be inclusive and is that really such a bad thing?

All the trappings of most major holidays are here in a sweet melange of joy.

Have at it!

Editorial Board: Carrie Tett, Greg Jerrett, Katie Goldsmith, Amie Van Overmeer, Andrea Hauser and Jocelyn Marcus