For seven years, the annual tree lighting has marked the start of the Christmas season for the Mater Christi School community. Since it began, one year after the passing of a beloved Mater Christi alumna, Emily Lyman, the event has grown and flourished under the thoughtful shepherding of faculty, staff, and students.  Now the event is observed in memory of both Emily and Ryan Collins, another MCS student who was taken from us too soon. The lighting of the familiar blue lights is a time when students, families, teachers, and staff look to this Season of Light with gratitude and appreciation for the special traditions we share and the extended family we have here at Mater Christi. Though we could not gather together in person for the tree lighting this year, the spirit of the event glows strongly and, as always, our collective prayers go out to Emily and Ryan’s families.