This year NIU’s Campus Activities Board has planned two activities to help students get in the holiday spirit.

The first is the second-annual holiday party. Special Event Coordinator Ali Fran said the party is trying to reach non-traditional students on campus.

The party will be on Dec. 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Duke Ellington Ballroom in the Holmes Student Center.

Admission is free for students’ children and $2 for children of faculty members.

Anyone interested can call the CAB office. The deadline for buying tickets is Nov. 30.

“Not all students celebrate Christmas so this is more of a holiday party to include all students and faculty,” Fran said

Fran said there will be many activities for the kids to get involved.

There will be face painting, Santa will be there and we’re trying to get a choir to perform Christmas songs with the kids,” Fran said.

Fran said last year’s party was a great success. More than 400 children attended, she said.

“We’re really glad it went over so well,” Fran said. “We received lots of thank you notes and response letters.”

Fran said information has been distributed all over campus to invite interested people. She also said people have been asking about the party since the beginning of the year.

Another event CAB is organizing is an appearance by the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble at the Egyptian Theatre.

The concert is scheduled for Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. 2nd St.

Tickets for the concert cost $4 for students, $6 for senior citizens and $10 for the general public. They can be purchased at the Sandburg ticket booth in the student center.

Yvette Kuczaj, chair of the fine arts committee, said, “This isn’t really a Christmas concert, but I thought it would be nice around Christmas because the songs are religious.”

The songs the ensemble performs are some of the first protest songs that were sung by slaves.

“The slaves would sing these protest songs to their master, but he didn’t know they were protest songs because they were sung in a religious manner,” Kuczaj said.

The ensemble also will be critiquing some of the choirs around campus during its stay.

“The concert’s unique and I think it’ll open students’ minds to gospel music,” Kuczaj said. “I think everyone will enjoy the concert.”