Holiday events in an unusual year

In a normal year, parties, parades and other events are a big part of the holidays.

They’re a chance for friends, family and entire communities to get together and celebrate a special season.

However, many holiday events are being canceled, offered virtually or presented in different formats this year, in Mountain Brook and around the country.

One of the oldest holiday traditions in the city, the Living Nativity at Mountain Brook Baptist Church, will take place in 2020, albeit in a different form.

The annual Mountain Brook Holiday Parade will not take place due to concerns about COVID-19, but city leaders have devised a safer, family-friendly alternative.

“Instead of canceling the parade, we have found a really cool way to bring the parade to the people,” said Suzan Doidge, executive director of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

A SHARED EXPERIENCE

The Living Nativity at Mountain Brook Baptist Church, in its 57th year, “has become a part of the rhythm of the Christmas season for so many folks in our community,” said Ben Winder, MBBC minister to students.

The Living Nativity is “a shared experience of generations of the Mountain Brook Baptist Church family and the Mountain Brook community at large,” Winder said.

Despite COVID-19, MBBC never considered cancelling the event for 2020, he said.

“We thought we could be flexible enough to find a responsible way to share this gift with the community, even this year,” Winder said.

Of course, they “knew this year’s Living Nativity would have to be different,” he said.

So MBBC will host the much-loved event as the Drive-Up Living Nativity.

It will be presented by students and children at the church, and all attendees will stay in their cars.

The “classic narration” of the Christmas story the event is known for — it was recorded in 1963 by Dr. Dotson M. Nelson, church pastor at the time — will be broadcast via an FM transmitter, Winder said.

The event will take place in the lower parking lot, located at 3631 Montevallo Road, from Sunday through Tuesday, Dec. 20-22, at 6:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:15 p.m.

Each show will last a little under 20 minutes and accommodate a maximum of 40 cars.

Cars will enter the lot from Overbrook Road and be directed to a parking spot. Cookies and hot chocolate will be provided.

The actors will portray Mary, Joseph, the wisemen and the angels. As always, the show will feature live animals but — due to safety protocols — guests will not be allowed to pet the animals.

Organizers believe the Living Nativity maybe “especially meaningful for families in our community this year,” Winder said.

They also look forward to offering this safe activity for families to do together this Christmas season, he said.

Enjoying the Living Nativity could be a nice way for believers to cap off a tough 2020.

“We know it has been a difficult year for many people, and that is all the more reason to remember and celebrate the hope we find in the Bethlehem baby,” Winder said.

People also enjoy the Living Nativity because it allows them to “escape the frenetic pace, which has too often become the reality of the Christmas season for too many of us, and to spend a few minutes quietly reflecting on the true meaning of the season, the birth of Jesus Christ,” he said.

“I think people enjoy the Living Nativity because of the enduring message of the birth of Christ and the hope it brings to the world, and having the ability to experience that in a live setting brings the story out of the pages of the Bible and into today’s world,” said Kelly Hatley, the MBBC minister of music and active Christian living.

MBBC will also offer three Christmas Eve worship services this year. There will be a family service at 3 p.m. with no communion and two Candlelight Communion services at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Seating in the church sanctuary is limited, and pre-registration is required. Sign up online at mbbc.org/advent or call the church office 205-871-0331.

For more information about the Living Nativity and the church’s other services and events, go to mbbc.org/advent.

BRING THE PARADE TO THE PEOPLE

The annual Mountain Brook Holiday Parade, which typically draws about 2,500 spectators to Mountain Brook Village, is one of the city’s favorite traditions.

The event features marching bands, choral groups, dance teams, scout troops, city vehicles and, of course, an appearance by Santa Claus.

But the COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to find a substitute for the parade, which had been planned for Dec. 6, Doidge said.

“It was a hard decision to make, because people are ready to get back to business as usual, but we felt like it would be irresponsible to encourage large groups of people to congregate in the middle of a pandemic when, in fact, the numbers aren’t stable — they are going up,” she said.

The decision to cancel the parade was made by city leaders, including the mayor, the fire and police chiefs, the city manager and members of the Mountain Brook City Council.

Instead of the parade, the Mountain Brook Fire Department will use a fire truck to take Santa Claus to as many of the city’s neighborhoods as possible to visit children.

The event will take place Sunday, Dec. 6 from 1-4 p.m.

“They are going to come to your neighborhood, or a neighborhood near you, and you’ll be able to walk out your front door with your pod of friends or your family and not be encouraged to congregate with people that you might not know otherwise, so it’s a safe, family-friendly way to celebrate the holidays,” Doidge said.

“I think it will bring a lot of smiles to a lot of kids’ faces and make families happy, and I feel like it’s the right thing to do and it’s a good thing to do,” she said.

Details of the event were still being worked out at press time. For updates or more information, call 205-871-3779 or go to mtnbrookchamber.org.