It is a little hard to get in the Christmas spirit when the temperature highs are in the 70s, and everyone around campus is focusing all of their energy on the many exams they have to study for. Yet, with all the busyness we have, Baylor does a pretty good job of getting her students in the right state of mind for the holiday season with an event like Christmas on 5th.
My experience at Christmas on 5th included visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus, decorating Christmas cookies, and watching Baylor's Christmas tree lighting. Other events included a petting zoo, horse-drawn carriage rides, and viewing an array of Christmas trees decorated by different organizations. While this is a fun break and all, Baylor never fails to remind us of the true importance of everything we do.
A live nativity was set up outside for the whole crowd to see. Along with that, the true Christmas story from Luke was read just before the giant Christmas tree lit up the dark night sky. Just like all of the good, entertaining things going on around 5th street that Thursday on the 1st of December, we can get caught up in the craze of Christmas or even in the craze of life and completely forget what is truly important and truly worth our time, Baylor was intentional about making sure we all took a few moments to stop and remember the true meaning of Christmas, despite all of the other things begging for our attention all the time.
Along with remembering to keep the Christ in our Christmas this year, we reflected on all of the wonderful things we have gained from our first semester at Baylor and how blessed we truly are. We have a community around us that took little to no time to develop. We have formed strong friendships and had each others' backs. We have learned a lot about our fields of study and the world around us. Many of our faiths are coming out of this semester stronger than they ever have been. We have matured together and watched each other truly change. We will never be the same.
Thank you to Baylor for holding true to her Christian values and helping her students do the same.
