No Nativity scene at San Jacinto Plaza this year

If you visit San Jacinto Plaza for year’s Celebration of Lights, you will notice something is missing.

At least two ABC-7 viewers have reached out to us to ask why there is no longer at Nativity scene at the plaza

After 2012, the Celebration of Lights, and all of San Jacinto decorations were moved to Cleveland Square, including the Nativity scene.

“We really didn’t specifically decide we weren’t going to have certain items. The idea was that San Jacinto Plaza, which is everyone’s front porch in a lot of ways, would be redesigned based on the new layout,” said Dionne Mac, with the Quality of Life Department.

The City told ABC-7 the new design of the plaza meant new lights, and a Nativity scene wasn’t apart of the new decorations.

“We wanted something very modern that actually fit the new design and patterns. We wanted something bright and festive,” Mac said.

Last December, at least two Texas cities, Orange and Austin, experienced Nativity scene controversies. So that begged the question:was the Nativity scene nixed in the spirit of political correctness?

“We’re not really thinking about having it specific to any of those holidays, but really, having it be festive in a way people can celebrate,” Mac said.