Whether you decorate your tree the day after Halloween or the day before Christmas, the holiday season is here! Waco is a wonderland during the Christmas season, so if you need any excuses to bundle up the whole family and go get in the holiday spirit, there are events starting as soon as this weekend. 

Events happening now until Christmas:

• Blow your own Christmas ornament
  • Starting November 11th Fridays 9 AM-6 PM and Saturdays 8 AM – 6 PM at 318 Rogers Hill Rd
  • Schedule an appointment to blow your own glass ornament; choose your own colors and make an ornament in 10 minutes. Each ornament is $35. To schedule, email elizabeth@stantonglass.com or call (800) 619-4882.
• Nature in Lights
  • Starting November 11th Nightly 5:30 – 11 PM at Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area
  • Take a Christmas light tour in a limousine; fun for the whole family and kids of all ages. To reserve, call 254-716-6224.
• ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’
  • November 17th 7 PM, November 18th 2 & 7 PM, November 19th 2 PM at Lee Lockwood Library
  • Presented by Waco Children’s Theatre, $5 admission! Enjoy homemade sweet treats at Nannie’s Christmas Cafe before, during intermission, and after the shows.
• Christmas Cards with Cathy
  • November 18th 11 AM – 1 PM at Crop-Paper-Scissors
  • Create three quick and easy Christmas cards featuring heat embossing and Distress Oxide Inks. Reserve your spot by November 16th!
• Holiday Sip & Shop
  • November 28th 5 – 8 PM at the Baylor Club
  • Grab your friends and your shopping list and head to the Club for all your shopping needs! Open to the public. Featuring home accessories & decor, jewelry, arts & crafts, vintage items, health & beauty, personalized gifts, men’s/women’s/children’s clothing, and more!
• Christmas at the Mayborn
  • November 30th 4:30 – 7:30 PM at Mayborn Museum Complex
  • Special Christmas themed events and activities are included in the price of admission (free to museum members and Baylor students), including a visit from Santa and a special model train display! Visitors can participate in a nativity themed photo-op, make their own holiday decorations, experience a special snow spectacular at 5 PM, and so much more.
• A Griswold Family Christmas Movie
  • November 30th 5 PM at Cameron Park Zoo
  • Movie rated PG-13, cash bar on site with seasonal adult beverages.
• Christmas on Fifth Street
  • November 30th 5:30 – 10 PM on Baylor’s campus
  • Lots of free family friendly activities including carriage rides, petting zoo, live nativity, train rides, pictures with Santa, Christmas tree lighting, and more!
• A Baylor Christmas
  • November 30th 7:30 PM, December 1st 7:30 PM, December 3rd 3 PM at Jones Concert Hall
  • The combined choirs of Baylor University and the Baylor Symphony Orchestra present their annual Christmas concert. Buy tickets here. 
• Christmas on the Brazos
  • December 1st – 3rd, 8th-10th at Historic Waco
  • Explore some of the Historic Waco’s house museums during the annual Christmas on the Brazos. Each of the house museums will be decorated to fit this year’s Golden Chrismas theme in honor of Historic Waco’s 50th anniversary. Events include candlelight tours and Breakfast with Santa.
• Mini Mayborn Express
  • December 1st – 31st at Mayborn Museum Complex
  • Presented by the Central Texas Area Model Railroaders, come enjoy a special Christmas display, a small train track that you can operate yourself, and a large train layout that will include elaborate scenes of cities and towns in both the past and the present! The young and young-at-heart will enjoy imagining the excitement of being a train engineer.
• Cocoa Crawl
  • December 1st 5 – 7 PM in downtown Waco
  • The Inaugural Cocoa Crawl will provide patrons with a few lovely hours to sip on hot cocoa while they walk throughout the downtown area before the Wonderland tree lighting ceremony and fireworks (see next event). This provides locals and visitors alike the opportunity to experience all the best flavors that Downtown Waco has to offer while shopping it’s many one-of-a-kind stores.
• Waco Wonderland
  • December 1st – 3rd at Heritage Square in Downtown Waco
  • Christmastime activities including fireworks, a Ferris wheel, carriage rides, a “snow hill”, and a petting zoo. Tree Lighting Ceremony at 7 PM on December 1st, Holiday Movie on the Big Screen at 7 PM on December 2nd. Mistletoe Market includes food, drink, artists, merchants, and kids art activities. The Santa House is a hand-crafted wooden house where you can get pictures with Santa: December 1st 5 – 10 PM, December 2nd 10 AM – 10 PM, and December 3rd 12 – 6 PM.
• A Dr Pepper Christmas
  • December 1st 6:30 – 8:30 PM at Dr Pepper Museum
  • Ring in the holiday season at the 11th annual A Dr Pepper Christmas! A holly jolly good time for the whole family filled with musical entertainment, Christmas crafts, food, and a Santa appearance.
• Wonderland Run
  • December 2nd 8 AM at Austin Ave & 3rd Street
  • Kick off the annual Waco holiday parade with the 1 mile family walk or the timed 10K and 5K. Register here.
• Christmas at the Silos
  • December 2nd 8 AM – 4 PM at Magnolia Market
  • Free daytime events include pictures with Santa, ornament painting, The Polar Express movie showings, Christmas book readings, face painting, and shopping. Concert that night from 5 – 10 PM featuring Shane and Shane, Phil Wickham and Bethany Barnard. Kids will be busy during the concert with Christmas crafts, pictures with Santa, and bakery treats at the Silos Baking Co. airstream trailer. Buy tickets here.
• Central’s Market
  • December 2nd 9 AM – 2 PM at Central Christian Church
  • 11th annual craft fair sponsored by the Disciples Women. Incredible event filled with the Spirit of Christmas: food trucks, handmade and other special keepsakes from vendors, a raffle, and the “Biggest Bake Sale Ever”.
• Gingerbread House Decorating Party
  • December 2nd 11 AM – 12 PM at West Waco Library
  • Decorate a graham cracker gingerbread house as a family; yummy supplies are provided. Choose from the candy buffet to make your unique creation. Supplies and spaces are limited, so register online by clicking the link above!
• Holiday Children’s Workshop
  • December 2nd 12:30 – 2 PM at The Art Center of Waco
  • Make holiday ornaments in this one-time workshop with Deborah Reed-Propst.
• Christmas Corks & Canvas Art Show
  • December 2nd 4 – 6 PM at St Louis Catholic School
  • Art show featuring students and local artists, along with drinks and appetizers!
• The Nutcracker
  • December 2nd 7:30 – 9 PM and 3rd 2 – 3:30 PM at Midway ISD Performing Arts Center
  • A cast comprised of professional dancers, talented youth, dazzling costumes, and world class choreography, all of which set the stage for an unforgettable holiday experience for all ages. Buy tickets here.
• Baylor Singing Seniors
  • December 3rd 4 PM at First Baptist Church Hewitt
  • The Baylor Singing Seniors will perform “God’s Gifts for All Seasons”.
• Pajama Movie Night: The Polar Express
  • December 4th 6 – 8 PM at Central Waco Library
  • Bring the whole family in your cozy PJ’s and kick off the Christmas season with popcorn, cocoa, and crafts while you watch The Polar Express!
• Chamber Singers Christmas Concert
  • December 4th 7:30 PM and 5th 8:30 PM at Armstrong Browning Library
  • This chamber choir of mixed voices is led by Brian A. Schmidt, Baylor University’s Associate Professor of Choral Music.
• Waco Jazz Orchestra Concert
  • December 4th 7:30 PM at Ball Performing Arts Center (MCC)
  • Waco Jazz orchestra performs its Swinging Holiday Concert at McLennan Community College.
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Family Storytime
  • December 7th 6:30 – 7:30 PM at West Waco Library
  • Join us for storytime all about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer; find our how he got his job and make an ornament to take home to your tree!
• Make a gift bag
  • December 7th 7 – 8 PM and 8th 10:30 – 11:30 AM and at East Waco Library
  • Give all your gifts in a wrapping that’s unique, cute, and upcycled!
• ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’
  • December 8th 7 PM, December 9th 2 & 7 PM, December 10th 2 PM at Lee Lockwood Library
  • Presented by Waco Children’s Theatre, $5 admission! Enjoy homemade sweet treats at Nannie’s Christmas Cafe before, during intermission, and after the shows.
• McLennan County Christmas Party
  • December 8th 6 PM at Extraco Event Center
  • You’re invited to the county wide Christmas party put on by 4H! In order to get in, please bring a side dish item, small toys to donate to Toys for Tots, and a $5 – $10 present for a White Elephant Gift Exchange.
• Holly Jolly Holiday Concert
  • December 8th 7:30 – 9:30 PM at 600 Austin Ave
  • The Waco Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Concert will dazzle you with holiday merriment, combining timeless classics and sentimental favorites of the holiday season. Experience a sleigh-full of joy, with falling snow, live reindeer, and Santa and Mrs. Clause.
• Ceramic Nativity Making Class
  • December 9th 10 AM and 16th 11:30 AM at The Art Center of Waco
  • Make a nativity scene with your family in this fun class with Barbara Francis!
• Making holiday ornaments
  • December 9th 11 AM – 12 PM at Central Waco Library
  • Fun for the whole family putting together a DIY ornament that will be on your tree for generations.
• Pop Up Saturday
  • December 9th 11 AM – 1 PM at the Dr Pepper Museum
  • Celebrate the Christmas tree and learn how to recycle a two liter bottle into an easy Christmas tree decoration! Activity included with the price of admission.
• Homemade for the Holidays
  • December 9th 2 – 3 PM at South Waco Library
  • Make decorations to keep your home festive for Christmas and New Year’s Day!
• City of Hewitt Tree Lighting
  • December 9th 5 – 7 PM at Hewitt City Hall
  • Chamber music, giant snow globe picture opportunity, Night Before Christmas reading, crafts, gift basket & Christmas tree silent auction, Marines Toys for Tots collection, hot chocolate, cookies, pictures with Santa, and more!
• McGregor Christmas Parade & Cookies with Santa
  • December 9th 6 – 7 PM on McGregor Main Street
  • The Christmas parade is a moving light show down Main Street, then cookies and hot chocolate with Santa held in Legacy Park immediately following.
• Youth Chorus of Central Texas Christmas Concert
  • December 10th 3 PM at Austin Ave United Methodist Church
  • Join the vibrant voices of the Youth Chorus of Central Texas for a celebration of Christmas music!
• Woodway Christian School Christmas Market
  • December 12th 12 – 6 PM at First Woodway Baptist Church (west side of auditorium)
  • Join us for the 5th annual market to check out vendors showcasing jewelry, boutique items, food, skin care, home decor, and more!
• A Christmas Carol
  • December 15th 7:30 PM, 16th 7:30 PM, and 17th 2:30 PM at Jubilee Theatre Waco
  • Put on by Mission Waco Jubilee Theatre. Get tickets here.
• Annual Christmas Radio Show
  • December 15th & 16th 6:30 PM at Brazos Theatre
  • A complimentary holiday reception precedes the show featuring delicious hors d’oeuvres and mulled wine. 
• The Most Wonderful Show of the Year
  • December 17th 2 PM at Waco Civic Theatre
  • Come see the most wonderful show at the most wonderful time of the year! Join us for all the color and pageantry of a Christmas variety show featuring singing and dancing to your favorite holiday songs, including songs like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Silver and Gold, White Christmas, and more.
• T’was the Week Before Christmas
  • December 18th – 22nd at Mayborn Museum Complex
  • Celebrate the holiday season this year at the Mayborn by joining staff and friends of the Mayborn for special Christmas themed events and activities.
• “Santa’s Magic Bells” Puppet Show
  • December 19th-21st 11AM and 2PM at Mayborn Museum Complex
  • Enjoy a special holiday puppet show presented by Ware House Puppets. Following the show, holiday-themed hands-on activities will be available throughout the museum.
• Ride to the North Pole Movie Event
  • December 21st 5 – 7 PM at Cameron Park Zoo
  • Bring the whole family to watch The Polar Express!

Merry Christmas!