In the early morning of Dec. 10, some Colorado College seniors took a 15-foot Christmas tree from the third-floor porch of senior house on Weber Street, according to those involved.
The tree had originally been legally harvested with a Woodland Park permit.
The following morning, four residents of the Weber Street house, known among students as “Stair House,” retaliated by removing the front door from the pranksters’ house on Uintah Street.
“We thought it would be funny to commandeer the tree for our Christmas party that weekend,” said Owen Stefanakos ‘26, one of the students who took the tree.
The initial attempt failed, however, when two Stair House residents secured the tree to the house with a bike lock, Stefanakos said. The group returned several times overnight with bolt cutters and a hacksaw before successfully taking the tree.
“I woke up to see our Christmas tree missing and a cut bike lock on our front door mat,” said Graham McWeeny, ‘26, a Stair House resident. “The tree was a beacon of hope for students among Block 4 dreariness.”
He offered his take on the retribution, too.
“We removed the door in under three minutes while people were inside their house,” McWeeny said.
The pranks escalated throughout the day with a temporary theft of skis, wallets and gold cards before tensions eased.
By evening, students reached a begrudging truce due to internal strife of the Uintah Street house, agreeing to return the tree after the party as long as they got their door back.
“It’s all about leverage,” said Stefanakos. “We couldn’t live without a front door.”