The fall semester is winding down, but there are still plenty of exciting and educational events scheduled for this month, from the Winter Showdown with Michigan State to holiday celebrations and the annual Gingerbread construction contest.

2015 Morton E. Ruderman Memorial Lecture

The speaker for this year’s Morton E. Ruderman Memorial Lecture is Jodi Rudoren, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times. Her lecture, titled “Journalism in a Land of Few Facts,” will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 5:30 p.m. in the Raytheon Amphitheater.

Rudoren has been the Jerusalem bureau chief since 2012, covering two Gaza wars and two Israeli elections. She has also reported on the Syrian civil war, West Bank resettlement, terror attacks, and the fallout from the Iran nuclear deal.

Raising banners

The men’s basketball team will raise its CAA championship and NCAA tournament banners to the Matthews Arena rafters on Wednesday, Dec. 2, prior to its game against crosstown rival Harvard. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Student, faculty, and staff tickets are available on myNEU. General public tickets are available online.

Make the most of your stress

Kristen Lee Costa, a stress expert and an assistant teaching professor for behavioral sciences at Northeastern, will speak at Snell Library on Thursday, Dec. 3, at noon as part of the Meet the Author series.

Her book RESET: Make the Most of Your Stress helps people understand stressors, stress thresholds, and how to process stress.

Signs of the season

The Center for Spirituality, Dialogue, and Service will host several events this month to celebrate the holidays. There will be a Kwanzaa observance (Dec. 4, 5 p.m.), Hanukkah candle lighting (Dec. 7, 5:45 p.m.), Bodhi Day dinner and celebration (Dec. 8, 5:30 p.m.), and a Christmas potluck (Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.).

Contact the center for more information about these and other events.

Annual gingerbread construction contest

There is still time to sign up for Northeastern Dining’s 15th annual gingerbread construction contest. Sign up by Friday, Dec. 4, for your chance to be one of 65 students randomly selected to compete.

The contest is on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 3 to 8 p.m. in Levine Marketplace. The gingerbread village will be displayed on Friday, Dec. 11, in Xhibition Kitchen, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. Members of the Northeastern community will vote for their favorites, with cash prizes for the first-, second-, and third-place winners.

Beat BC

The men’s hockey team, fresh off a 7-1 win over Colgate in Belfast, Northeastern Ireland, will welcome Hockey East rival Boston College to Matthews Arena on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. Student, faculty, and staff tickets are available on myNEU. General public tickets are available online.

Winter Showdown

Northeastern’s athletic event of the year will take place at historic Matthews Arena on Dec. 18 and 19, when the Huskies battle the Michigan State Spartans in the Winter Showdown.

The women’s basketball teams will play on Friday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m., followed by a basketball-hockey double-header on Saturday, Dec. 19. The men’s basketball teams will play at 12:30 p.m., and the men’s hockey teams will play at 7 p.m. For tickets to any of these games, students, faculty, and staff should go to myNEU, and the general public should visit GoNU.com.