The holiday season began at MU on Monday afternoon with the annual holiday open house at the Residence on Francis Quadrangle.

The open house featured several elaborate holiday decorations, including five Christmas trees. School of Music students performed holiday songs, and MU event staff members were on hand to greet guests and answer questions about the historic residence.

Chancellor Brady Deaton and his wife, Anne Deaton, hosted the event and have been doing so since 2005.

Brady Deaton said there are numerous reasons why he and Anne began hosting the holiday open house.

“It gives (students and faculty) a chance for us to be able to express to them the joy of the holidays,” Deaton said. “It also gives us a chance to meet them and for them to see the house — it is a beautiful home decorated for the holidays.”

The residence was built in 1867 and most recently renovated in 2005. The main floor of the house was kept in the Italian villa style in which the original residence was designed, Deaton said. The residence took about two days to fully decorate.

Deaton said he think the residence is a place not only every MU student, but also every Missourian should visit.

“Every citizen of Missouri should see what their forefathers have contributed to the university,” Deaton said. “When we open up the house this way to the community at large, it is a way of saying ‘season’s greetings’ to the whole state.”

MU holiday traditions will continue Tuesday with the Hanging of the Greens, sponsored by the Student Unions Programming Board.