(Photo from Belhaven University)
- For nearly a century, families from across Mississippi — and far beyond Jackson — have gathered to usher in the Christmas season together.
I always know Christmas is officially here when I start thinking about Belhaven’s Singing Christmas Tree — not when the radio flips to nonstop holiday music, and definitely not when the stores start decorating before Halloween. It’s this. This is the moment the season settles in and feels real.
The Singing Christmas Tree isn’t flashy in a “look at me” kind of way. It doesn’t need to be. This December marked the 93rd time Belhaven University gathered voices together under the night sky, making it the oldest Singing Christmas Tree in the entire country. That alone is impressive, but what matters more is how familiar it still feels. Families return year after year. Neighbors run into each other in the stands. There’s a sense that everyone knows exactly why they’re there.
The first Singing Christmas Tree took place in 1933, back when candles provided the light and voices carried everything else. Today, more than 100 student vocalists stand on a towering, tree-shaped platform glowing with thousands of synchronized lights. The technology has
changed, but the purpose hasn’t. At its heart, this is still about people showing up, standing together, and letting music mark the season.
I’ll admit, I watch the Singing Christmas Tree with a slightly different lens than most. Once you’ve spent years in choirs and on stages, you never really turn that part of your brain off. I notice the entrances. I feel the nerves. I know how exposed it feels to stand up there, especially in the quiet moments. And every year, without making too much of it, I catch myself thinking — not out loud, but still — that would be something: to stand beneath that star and carry a song that means so much to so many.
This year’s program honored the long history of the Singing Christmas Tree while leaving room for creativity and surprise. New musical selections were woven throughout the evening, including a beautiful piano-and-violin duet paired with dancers performing to “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” It was one of those moments that made the stadium feel smaller and quieter, like everyone leaned in at the same time.
And just when the evening threatened to get a little too reverent, the Grinch showed up. The playful performance of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” was the perfect palate cleanser. Kids perked up. Adults laughed. The tension broke just enough before the music gently pulled everyone back in. Every Christmas program needs a Grinch — consider it a rule.
Dr. Rebecca Geihsler-Chittom, chair of Belhaven University’s Music Department, has often emphasized that the heart of the Singing Christmas Tree has never been about change for change’s sake. Instead, the focus is on honoring what has always made the tradition special while allowing the artistry to continue evolving. She describes the Singing Christmas Tree as “Belhaven’s gift to the community—a shared expression of faith, creativity, and the simple joy of Christmas.”
Nearly a hundred years in, that gift remains remarkably intimate, especially at a time when so many long-held traditions quietly disappear or lose their original meaning. One of the most anticipated moments each year remains “O Holy Night.” The soloist, selected for exceptional vocal ability and artistry, stands beneath the star at the top of the tree. The stadium goes quiet — truly quiet — and that first note seems to hang in the air just a beat longer than expected. It’s reverent and emotional, the kind of moment that reminds you why music has always mattered in moments of faith and reflection.
What sets the Singing Christmas Tree apart is that it’s never just about the music. Belhaven’s School of the Arts brings the Nativity story to life through music, dance, theatre, visual art, and creative writing. It’s layered and intentional — not something you simply watch, but something you experience. You don’t leave humming just one song; you leave carrying a feeling.
Even the smaller details feel rooted in Mississippi. Just Vanilla Bakes returned with desserts created specifically for the event, a sweet reminder that local hands help shape even our most beloved traditions. It’s those touches — familiar names, familiar faces — that make the evening feel like home.
For nearly a century, families from across Mississippi — and far beyond Jackson — have gathered to usher in the Christmas season together. The Singing Christmas Tree has never been about spectacle alone. It’s about showing up. Standing shoulder to shoulder, and letting the music echo into the night.
If you’ve never experienced it, put it on your mental Christmas list for next year. And if you have, you already know: Belhaven’s Singing Christmas Tree isn’t just a holiday performance. It’s a living piece of Mississippi history — still glowing, still singing, and still shining a little brighter every year.
Meredith Biesinger
