Baylor celebrates holiday season with annual Christmas on 5th events

Baylor’s Christmas on 5th celebrations will showcase to the Baylor community a variety of events and activities, including pony ride and a petting zoo, among others. Lariat File photo.

By Meredith Howard | Staff Writer

Baylor’s Christmas on 5th celebration will feature a variety of activities Thursday, such as pony rides, face painting, selfies with Santa, carnival booths, a petting zoo and more.

The long-standing Baylor tradition will kick off at the SUB Bowl with the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures’ carols from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by the Baylor Religious Hour Choir Christmas concert at 6:15 p.m., also at the SUB Bowl.

At 8:15 p.m., Kappa Omega Tau will hold the annual tree lighting ceremony. Boerne junior Trip Smith is one of Kappa Omega Tau’s Christmas on 5th chairmen, and he said he has always enjoyed the event.

“It has been one of my favorite events since I was little; my family is a big Baylor family, so we go to it most of the time,” Smith said.

Keller junior Aaron Lester is also a Christmas on 5th chairman and said he is enjoying participating in the event.

“There’s a lot of tradition within the tree lighting ceremony,” Lester said.

Lester also said the tree will be set up the week before the lighting, and that the Golden Wave Marching Band will play in the ceremony.

Kappa Omega Tau’s members have been planning for Christmas on 5th for months, and Smith and Lester both said they were looking forward to the Baylor tradition.

The Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) will also have Christmas events running continuously from 5-10 p.m. The basement will have $1 “Jingle Bowl” at the SUB Bowling Lanes, the first floor will have ornament decorating, the second floor will host ‘Christmas Around the World’ and family photos with Santa, and the third floor will hold the Christmas Marketplace, “featuring vendors from around the state selling treats, crafts, and holiday gifts.”

At Fountain Mall, students can enjoy hay rides, a “snowmazing” maze, an Everest Climb and slide, food trucks, a s’mores station and a pretend snowball fight zone.

The Vara Martin Daniel Plaza and the SUB Bowl will be home to the Freshman Class Council Christmas Tree Farm, caroling from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, and the Baylor Religious Hour Choir.

A live nativity scene and horse drawn carriage rides will be on 5th Street, and students can go to the Burleson Quadrangle for the tree lighting, Christmas portrait pictures and more.

More information about Baylor’s Christmas traditions can be found on the Baylor website.