• Celebrating a very merry (and very online) Christmas at Baylor in 2020

    With students heading home for the semester at Thanksgiving this year, many wondered — what would become of Christmas on 5th Street in 2020?

    Rather than cancel the beloved tradition, Student Activities got to work and converted it into a special 30-minute broadcast, which aired live online last Thursday night. Thousands of Bears tuned in to enjoy their favorite #BaylorChristmas traditions, from the live nativity to the KOT Christmas tree lighting. Special guests included President Linda Livingstone, the Baylor Religious Hour Choir, and Grammy Award winner Kirk Franklin. (If you missed, be not afraid; we’ve got you covered.)

    That’s just one way Baylor is celebrating Christmas this year. The School of Music has also put together a “Countdown to Christmas,” in which each day from Dec. 1-25 reveals a new daily vignette of Christmas music performed by Baylor students. The Baylor Golden Wave Band kicked things off last week with a Christmas medley; you can see each day’s performance online and on the School of Music YouTube channel.

    Another daily countdown gift: The university has put out a free Advent devotional, in which a host of Baylor Bears — from President Livingstone to faculty and students — reflect on the hope, faith, joy and peace which characterize this season of waiting for Christ’s birth.

    And that’s not all… Baylor Libraries has been sharing Advent readings from the Saint John’s Bible; Baylor Theatre has produced an online version of “Shadows of a Christmas Carol“; and the McLane Carillon rang out with a Christmas concert on Sunday afternoon (stay tuned to Baylor social media for selections from that performance). You can find even more Baylor Christmas memories and celebrations at baylor.edu/Christmas.

    Yes, 2020 has been a hard year. We hope that such gifts bring a little hope as we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth.

    Merry Christmas, Baylor Family!