By Zach Babajanof-Rustrian | Intern
Christmas on Fifth wouldn’t be complete without its iconic live Nativity scene.
Trish Baum, program manager for resources for the Center for Academic Success and Engagement, and Doug Baum, former Cameron Park zookeeper, have brought animals to Christmas on Fifth for close to 20 years.
“Christmas on Fifth is pretty light duty for our camels, and we usually bring a donkey and a cow,” Doug Baum said. “They are simply stationed on either side of the manger flanking Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and it’s their job to look cool and authentic.”
In addition to bringing their animals to Christmas on Fifth, the Baums have been bringing their camels to churches as part of live Nativity scenes for 27 years.
Doug Baum said the animals give people a window into rural American life while creating a visual representation of the story of the birth of Jesus.
“100 years ago, 98% of us were farmers in America and lived a rural life. And today, when you flip that statistic, and it puts only 2% of us living a rural lifestyle, it means that there’s a lot of obligation on those of us who do live a rural lifestyle to educate folks about livestock,” Doug Baum said. “Beyond that, I think having the camels [at] Christmas on Fifth helps to visually tell this story and give families, especially young folks, an idea of what the birth of Jesus might have looked like.”
The animals are a crowd favorite at Christmas on Fifth, as many students and families enjoy seeing animals they don’t ordinarily come across.
“I think it’s cool to have camels at Christmas on Fifth, because those are not everyday animals that we get to see,” Chicago freshman George Allen said. “By having the camels there, we get to feel like we were there at Jesus’ birth.”
Doug Baum and his Arabian camel Sabr both share a smile. Kenneth Prabhakar | Photo Editor
While the Baums love providing live animals for live Nativity scenes, they said their animals’ needs come first at their farm.
“There are things that every farm family knows and understands and just surrenders to,” Doug Baum said. “We take care of them, and it’s just a rhythm that every farmer family surrenders to.”
However, the Baums’ relationship with their animals goes beyond their role as caretakers.
“I have learned to basically be an ambassador for the camels, as we take them out in public and help folks learn and kind of demystify camels,” Doug Baum said. “Everybody knows something about a camel, and it’s generally wrong. So our family, we kind of see our job as public relations for camels to demystify and kind of break myths about camels.”
You can find a full slideshow from The Lariat’s time with the Baums’ camels at baylorlariat.com.
