As you pull onto the campus of High Point University in December, you enter a new world. The campus pulls you into an experience unlike any other. Just a few feet away outside the gates, garbage sits on the road. Yet when you pull through the security booth guarded by men who are 12 feet tall, you forget about the outside world.

Nutcrackers line the streets which make you feel like a little person. The soldiers tower over you as you walk past and look at the two 200 foot Christmas trees and hundreds of lights.

The wreaths hanging from buildings look small above, but the more you think about them, you realize how big they truly are.

Workers like elves rush around to transform the campus and ensure every branch of garland is pointing perfectly. They work so fast you can only admire and wish you had what they had to drink that morning.

Trash cans serve as the home of miles of garland while they wait to be called to their light post. The trash cans look like Mary Poppins’ purse as the garland seems to never end while it gets pulled out.

Trees five times the size of the humans carrying them are pulled out of trucks already decorated, magically appearing in the lobbies of buildings.

Students skate across ice at the ice rink, surrounded by fake snow. The holiday music playing can only make you feel like you are in Rockefeller Center skating beneath the Christmas tree.

By night, a new transformation occurs on campus. At once, thousands of lights turn on creating a wonderland illuminated by majestic lights and a glow of magic.

On certain days, the smell of cookies and hot chocolate fill the air, bringing with it a feeling of comfort. As you enter buildings and smell baked goods, see fireplaces and admire gorgeous trees covered with purple ornaments and sparkles, you can only feel comfort.

Red and green fill the campus, with a touch of purple of course, and the feeling of the holidays infects your body.

As you return to your car, you admire the beauty one last time, taking pictures along the way of the decorations you would buy if you ever won the lottery.

It’s no secret that High Point University knows how to decorate for Christmas. From the many trees to the gorgeous lights, HPU provides an extraordinary experience around the holiday season.

While many admire the work of art that is campus at Christmas, few realize how much effort, planning and coordination goes into such a feat.

That’s where Jessica Nunez comes in. Nunez is the Campus Enhancement Facilities Coordinator, but around the holiday season she is lovingly referred to as Kriss Kringle.

“She makes the magic happen,” said Troy Thompson, the Vice President of Facilities and Operations.

Nunez oversees a staff of about 40 contractors who the University brings in to help decorate campus. Over the course of three weeks, her and the team work tirelessly to make sure the campus looks like a winter wonderland.

Months of planning, beginning in early July, create an experience like no other.

As the collection continues to grow, a warehouse dedicated to Christmas decorations is required. ‘Christmas HQ’ may lie dormant for months, but when it is time to begin, it looks like a scene out of ‘Toy Story’.

Hundreds of nutcracker heads lay on the ground and stare at the workers who prepare to bring them to life.

From the 231 12 foot tall nutcrackers to the over 150,000 lights and over 100 miles of wreaths and garlands, the University spares no expense when it comes to the holiday season.

But the logistical side of the planning is what makes the execution smooth.

Asked what the biggest logistical challenge is, Nunez said it is the nutcrackers.

“Each of the nutcrackers are numbered and have a very specific location on campus. The bases fit specifically with sleeves in the ground that hold the nutcrackers steady.”

Assembled in pieces, the nutcrackers require special tools to assemble them like a lift designed specifically to put the heads on top and a forklift fitted with a platform to raise workers into the air to line the pieces up.

Decorating a 430 acre campus is tough work, no doubt, Nunez says, but it is all worth it to see the smiles on the faces of those who enjoy the decorations.

Lyndsey Ayers, the vice president of university relations for HPU, said this time of year is a fan favorite.

“Decorating for Christmas is one of HPU’s most loved traditions. We decorate campus before Thanksgiving so students can enjoy the decorations before winter break,” said Ayers. “We open campus to the community for a drive through event to experience the decorations as well. At HPU, God, family and country are important values we cherish and especially at Christmas!”

While many students enjoy the decorations, some students have a bit more apprehension than others.

Enrique Laing, a freshman at HPU, is in awe of the campus as he sees it transform for the first time.

“I love how much effort they put into it,” he said. “I am absolutely in love with all the things and even all of the nutcrackers that show up.”

Annie Borovskiy, a junior, agrees with Laing, but doesn’t love it as much as she did as a freshman.

“I think the Christmas decorations at High Point are definitely overdone,” said Borovskiy. “I really appreciate that they overdo it with the nutcrackers and I like the consistency, but it’s definitely a lot for a normal University, but we’re not normal.”

However, not everyone is a fan of the decorations. Sami Novick, a graduate student who is Jewish, feels like the Christmas decorations alienate a large group of students since there is not much representation of their beliefs.

“I’m not even sure I’ve seen more than three menorahs on campus,” said Novick. “I know it’s because we are a United Methodist Church school, but I don’t think it’s right since a lot of students don’t celebrate Christmas.”

Even with this disagreement, Novick says she can still appreciate the beauty of campus around the holidays.

Community members have the chance to see the beauty of High Point University’s campus during the holiday season at this year's annual Christmas Drive Thru.

From Dec. 18 through Jan. 1, guests are invited to drive through campus between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Guests can enter the campus through the main gate on N. University Pkwy. and will exit onto Lexington Ave. via Panther Dr. by the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena.

For more information, contact High Point University Campus Concierge via email at concierge@highpoint.edu or by phone at (336) 841-4636.

A Campus or the North Pole?