Virtual Door Contest Entries

Below are the entries for the 2020 COSA Holiday Door Decorating Contest.

For more information, visit the Contest Information Page.

**Door Entry Photos and Stories**
	Door #1 I chose to create snow globes for a variety of winter holidays from around the world. The holidays I chose are Chinese New Year, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, and Bohdi Day. These represent a diverse selection of the population including different regions and religions. The last three are lesser known in our country. Kwanzaa is an African-American celebration including gift-giving and feasts; Yule is a holiday with Germanic origins and is an ancient celebration of the Winter Solstice; and Bohdi Day is the day that Buddhists believe Buddha experienced enlightenment and it is celebrated in January. Thank you for your consideration!
	Door #2 Something just for the caregiver. Caregivers may face new challenges during the covid-19 pandemic. Christmas is a holiday that may bring up old memories. I will be sharing tips with caregivers by telling them to decorate their door. Decorating the outside could be just for caregiver to enjoy the decoration and not have to explain to their love one over and over what is going on. I am a caregiver and I really enjoyed decorating my door.
	Door #3 Son of a nutcracker! This holiday season we could all use more peace. Peace between each of us as individuals and as nations. So for our door, we chose the theme of 'Peace on Earth'. We feature the word peace in 13 different languages, and we invite people to guess the languages that are represented. We also included symbols of various holidays to recognize the diversity of celebrations during this special time of year. The symbols can be found on the shirts of each character. Each character incorporates our own brand of whimsy. We hope you enjoy the big and small details of our door. Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men!
	Door #4 I recently completed Safe Space training which supports the LGBTQ+ students at the University. A paramount principle is the to provide both a diverse and inclusive environment for students. The colors of each bow represent the diversity of individuals that make up the institution represented from various parts of the world. By bringing all of the bows into one component represents the inclusiveness that is likewise important in conjunction with diversity. The door was created mainly with gift wrapping items including wrapping paper, bows, the tube from empty wrapping paper, and tissue paper for gift bags.
	People's Choice Award Winner Door #5 Celebrating my English heritage and the great British tradition of Doctor Who on the telly on Christmas Day. (And yes, this is fully functioning door that leads into our home office.)
	Door #6 This office/door decorating highlights the many traditional carols that are sung to give cheer during this time. The tree opens up to our front office and is dedicated to all 2800 residents in our halls, wishing them a happy and safe holiday.
	Judges' Choice Award Winner Door #7 Happy Holidays from the HR/EOD team! Blaze the reindeer is on a journey of joy this holiday season, blazin' a trail through several countries and exploring diverse holiday traditions around the world. See if you can spot him partaking in some new joyous activities! In South Georgia, Blaze dons a Santa hat and finds wreaths and traditional lighted Christian manger scenes. Heading West to Mexico, Blaze celebrates Las Posados, a Christian holiday celebrated in Latin America which commemorates the journey Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem and their search for a place for Mary to give birth. Each evening of the nine day festival, a child dressed as an angel leads a candlelight procession of children to homes asking for lodging for Joseph and Mary. At each stop, passages of scripture are read and Christmas carols are sung. Mass is held each day after the procession, and, at the conclusion of the service, children break open piñatas shaped like stars in commemoration of the star that guided the magi to the baby Jesus. Heading further West to California, Blaze learns about Kwanzaa, a tradition created by Dr. Maulana Karenga based on several different African harvest celebrations. The name Kwanzaa comes from the phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first fruits of the harvest in Swahili. Seven nights of celebrations focus on the different Kwanzaa principles and remind Blaze of the Blazer Creed! After lighting a Kwanzaa candle, Blaze is off to fly over the Africa and a stop in Israel to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish festival celebrating the miracle that happened when a small amount of oil burned for seven nights. Blaze learns to spin a driedel and recite sacred prayers as candles are lighted on a menorah. Then it's off to Japan to celebrate this nation's second most important holiday, Ōmisoka, (New Year's Eve). Blaze gets a bath and relaxes with friends so he can start the new year fresh, sharing a big bowl of noodles symbolizing the end of the long year, then visits a Buddhist or Shinto temple and rings bells to ring in a pure start to the new year. HR/EOD join Blaze in wishing you a healthy and happy start to the New Year that includes a joyous celebration of your wonderfully diverse family traditions!
	Door #8 During Maymester 2015, I conducted a Study Abroad Program for VSU - From Valdosta, GA to Valle D'Aosta, Italy (in the Alps). Monte Blanc (shown here)is the highest peak in Europe. Several students saw real snow for the first time, so we let the world know that VSU was there. The program experiences were eye-opening for our students, and the Italian teachers and children we worked with. We explored Italian culture in the Alps, taught literacy lessons in Italian elementary schools, saw glass being made in Venice, sampled Parmesan cheese and Balsamic vinegar in Reggio Emilia, visited the ruins of Pompeii, climbed the dome in Florence, and had dinner in the home of an Italian family. The Alps photo is on a canvas in my office, and since I have been teaching remotely, I miss it. This was a perfect opportunity to share my heritage and our wonderful VSU trip. Buona Festa - Happy Holidays.
	Door #9 Working in the Sullivan Literacy Center is special to me because although I am getting my degree in Speech Language Pathology, I have always loved to read. The Book Fair was always one of my favorite parts of school and I remember picking out the book, "Mooseltoe". Since that day it has always been one of my favorite Christmas books. Every year, the Sullivan Literacy Center tries to put on a Book Fair, and I hope one day a child will pick out their favorite Christmas book. The Sullivan Literacy Center is a place to come and pick out books and games for children to discover more about reading and the joys it can bring!
	Door #10 Our office was inspired by the German Christmas Markets and therefore we created a gingerbread village to represent Germany's Christmas spirit. Frohe Weihnachten! ( Merry Christmas!)
	2nd Place People's Choice Award 2nd Place Judges' Choice Award Door #11 Our door represents our diverse "Blazer Wonderland." We were inspired by the diverse backgrounds of our students and wanted to represent them well. VSU is home to students from over 60 countries across the world. Each of these countries is represented in our door through holiday greetings, signs, and flag snowflakes. We are proud to be a part of this Blazer Wonderland each and every day!
	Door #12 Bookish Christmas Tree It is housed on the table in MLIS room 4600 (Odum Library). It is a creative way to use old textbooks and other books to create a Christmas tree for book lovers. Enjoy!
	Door #13 Holidays around the world: A celebration of diversity and culture. Our door shows how Christmas and other holidays are celebrated in various different countries and cultures around the world.
	Door #14 Tis the season to be jolly !! In spite of COVID and the passing of my father this year, I still decided to decorate the office. At first it was a struggle because i was definitely in a slump, but this joy I have the world didn't give it, nor can it be taken away. Parking & Transportation welcomes you to visit and enjoy our decorations. It will definitely bring a sense of peace into your world. HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all and thank you for doing this.
	Door #15 The door was designed by the Health Promotions and Wellness team. Due to COVID, the holiday season is a bit different this year. We decided to create an international holiday mail service that allows for people around the world to celebrate with each other and feel connected. Our mail service designed door advocates and inspires for inclusion, closeness, and diversity to prosper on our campus. Each postcard is crafted and designed to represent each holiday that is celebrated during December and the New Year world wide. The postcards are wrote to help show other country's culture and how they are celebrating this year. The postcards are wrote based on what loved ones would say to each other during this unforeseen, but jolly time. In whole, the door symbolizes that people from different backgrounds are able to stay connected and celebrate during this time.
	Door #16 The Junkanoo Christmas! Junkanoo is celebrated in The Bahamas and has been celebrated for well over 500 years. This celebration evolved from the days of slavery. Loyalists who migrated to The Bahamas in the late 18th Centruy brought their African slaves with them. The slaves were given three days off during the Christmas season, which they used to celebrate by singing and dancing in colorful masks, traveling from house to house, often on stilts. Junkanoo nearly vanished after slavery was abolished but the revival of the festival in the Bahamas now provides entertainment for many thousands.