Georgia Southern University President Jaimie Hebert flipped the switch and lit up Sweetheart Circle Thursday, kicking off the holiday season not just on campus but all over the Boro.

The annual event featured photos with "Santa Gus," holiday treats, a toy drive, snow and an ice skating rink. 

The center of campus for more than a century, Sweetheart Circle is the heart of the GSU campus and the perfect backdrop for holiday lights, evergreen wreaths and bows. The buildings, trees and lamp posts are decorated with lights each year, along with holiday ornaments, and when the switch is flipped, the mood officially becomes festive on campus as seasonal music fills the air.