History
We cannot claim credit for the original christmas story, but we have been sharing it since the late 1980s.
Parade, Program and more
The inaugural A Night in Old Bethlehem for Sights & Sounds of Christmas took place in December of 1987. A parade of children, pets and people marched in period costumes from Nelson Center to the Courthouse Square.
The next night, St. John’s Catholic Church hosted 40 actors from San Antonio to produce a program called “Pastorela,” a traditional story about the struggles and hardships of the shepherds on their way to Bethlehem.
Over time, as Sights & Sounds of Christmas in San Marcos, TX evolved, A Night in Old Bethlehem grew. Visitors of Sights & Sounds can find a little town with angels at its gates, a humble stable and manger, a candle shop, a toy maker and more.
the bethlehem experience
A Night in Old Bethlehem is an experience that transports visitors to another era. Guests get to interact with Little Bethlehem. Meet the Inn Keeper or the toy maker. Dip your own candle or watch the potter craft his next masterpiece. Over the decades that A Night in Old Bethlehem has been in existence, there have been activities to involve all generations of people who walk through the angel-guarded gates.
