Camel Steals The Show At Houston Church’s Christmas Special

It's that time of year where churches across the Lone Star state are celebrating the reason for the season: Baby Jesus! From simple nativity scenes to full-blown holiday spectaculars, churches are finding creative ways to tell the Christmas story; some are low-key and traditional, others complete with big productions, special effects, and even live animals!

One Houston church’s Christmas show, however, took an unexpected turn when a live camel became part of a moment no one saw coming.

Camel Steals the Show at Houston Church

During a recent “Christmas Spectacular” at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, a camel being walked down an aisle as part of a parade segment suddenly kicked out, striking a woman seated near the aisle. Video of the incident shows the camel extending its hind leg as it passed, hitting the audience member before nearby spectators and staff quickly rushed to help.

Yikes! The parade continued moments later, with another camel and additional performers following, while several people remained with the woman to make sure she was okay.

Church officials later confirmed the incident, calling it unexpected and emphasizing that their team responded immediately. The church communications director, Steven Miori, said the church has remained in contact with the woman’s family since the incident.

As a result, the church made changes to the remainder of its performances, discontinuing the use of animals within the audience seating areas for the rest of the show’s run.

Champion Forest Baptist Church describes its “Christmas Spectacular” as a 90-minute, music-filled holiday production. The event ran from December 9 through Sunday, according to the church’s website.

While live animals can add authenticity to a nativity-style performance, this moment served as a reminder that even the most carefully planned holiday productions can take an unscripted turn. Church officials say adjustments have been made moving forward to keep future performances focused on celebration, and most of all, safety.