✨Merry Christmas!

Good Morning Waco! This is The Waco Buzz, the local newsletter that helps you stay in the know between gift wrapping and family plans.

Let’s get to it!

— Sam Harper

It’s Christmas week in Waco, which means this is a one-edition week. I’ll be back next week with a single send focused entirely on New Year’s Eve plans around town.

Also worth noting: this is shaping up to be one of the warmest Christmas weeks on record, with temperatures running nearly 20 degrees above normal. And yes, today is Festivus. Happy Festivus to those who celebrate.

Quick behind-the-scenes note. This is the 102nd newsletter sent this year, and together you’ve read The Waco Buzz more than 570,000 times. That still blows my mind. This newsletter will always be community-led, which is why I’d love for you to take a minute to fill out the end-of-year survey.

🧠 Would You Come to Professors on Tap?
One thing that keeps coming up in responses is a desire for more curated, in-person experiences in Waco. One idea I’m kicking around for 2026 is something like Professors on Tap. This wouldn’t be a dry lecture or a “Bueller?” moment. Think some of the best communicators and experts who call Waco home sharing what they know at a pub with friends.

In an age of endless scrolling and AI-generated content, what if we brought people together to listen, learn, think, and talk in real life? Casual setting. Short talks. Real conversations.

Before we get to the deal, a helpful heads-up: the City of Waco just launched a Flight Savings Calculator that lets you compare flying out of Waco Regional versus driving to a bigger airport, factoring in gas, parking, and time. It’s a quick reality check and often makes Waco flights look better than you expect.
👉 Take a look here:

🎤 Waco → Las Vegas — $288 round-trip
Backstreet Boys at the Sphere ends of February 15. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to use some Christmas money, text your BFF, and turn this email into a spontaneous Vegas weekend… this is it.

See full flight deals ›

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🧋 Zuke’s Tea Bar Levels Up Downtown
Zuke’s Tea Bar, which built a loyal following at Union Hall and Union Grove, has officially moved into the Shops at Hotel Herringbone alongside Sendero and Rancher Hat Bar. Same fan-favorite teas, new downtown home.
📍 319 S 4th St
🕘 Sun–Thu: 9 AM–8 PM | Fri–Sat: 9 AM–9 PM

🍻 Twisted Sisters Might Be Looking for a New Owner
One of Waco’s most recognizable patio bars quietly put out feelers this week. Twisted Sisters Patio Bar is exploring a possible sale to the right person, with no plans to close and business continuing as usual. The owners say they’re looking for someone who wants to keep the name, the vibe, and the fun going. If you’ve ever said, “I should own a bar someday,” this might be that moment.

🏭 A 100-Year-Old Waco Landmark Gets New Life
The massive Owen Mills Glass industrial building, a Waco fixture for more than a century, has a new chapter. The 1,060,000-square-foot facility on Beverly Drive, vacant for the past two years, sold on December 17 to a Dallas-based firm. Cromwell Commercial Group brokered the deal and is repositioning the property as the Waco I-35 Logistics Center, breaking the space into roughly 100,000-square-foot units aimed at modern manufacturing and logistics users. Updates are already underway, and interest is coming in from national and international companies. Translation: a long-dormant site near I-35 could soon be busy again, and job-producing.

💼 Hiring: Molson Coors in Waco
Molson Coors is looking for a Distributor Sales Executive based in Waco, with pay listed between $92K–$120K. More details here.

^{Nothing in this section is sponsored. Just the things you need to know around town.}

🌉 I-35 Bridge Lights Are Getting a Reset
If you’ve noticed the bridge lights near Baylor and McLane Stadium rarely working, that’s about to change. The City of Waco has approved a $1.6 million project to replace the faulty lighting system on the I-35 frontage road bridges over the Brazos. The original color-changing LEDs, installed around 2015, have been mostly dark since 2021. The new setup is designed to be more reliable and fully programmable, meaning green and gold for Baylor games, holiday colors, and special community moments should finally become the norm again.

🗑️ Christmas Week Trash Pickup Changes
A quick heads-up for the holiday week: trash and recycling run as usual on Tuesday and Wednesday, including Christmas Eve. Routes scheduled for Christmas Day will be picked up on Friday, December 26 instead. The Solid Waste Office and Cobbs Recycling Center are closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For exact bin reminders, the Waco Curbside Services app is your best bet.

It’s a slower week around town as Waco eases into Christmas, but there’s still plenty to do if you’re looking to get out of the house, see some lights, or make a plan with family in town.

If Christmas lights are on your list, Waco has some great options. Before you head out, bookmark wacochristmaslights.com. It’s the easiest way to find the best streets and neighborhoods without guessing.

A few local favorites worth noting: Cameron Park Zoo’s Wild Lights, the walk-or-drive-through display at Karem Shrine, and if you don’t mind a short drive, Lights of West is always a crowd-pleaser.

I’ve also included a few churches holding Christmas Eve services on Wednesday for those who are looking.

Here’s what’s happening around Waco 👇

Tuesday, December 23

Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve ⭐)

Thursday, December 25

🎄Not cooking today? You’re not alone. A few Waco spots plan to be open if eating out is part of your Christmas:

🥩 Casa Do Brasil
🍳 Black Bear Diner
🥩 Saltgrass Steak House

Looking to get out of the house? Main Event is open, and movie theaters across Waco are running full schedules.
🎬 Anaconda (Jack Black + Paul Rudd comedy) has six showtimes and Avatar is playing ten times today at Cinemark.

And if you’re ready to get out of the house tonight:
🎤 Video Karaoke Night @ J.S. Barnett’s Whiskey House — 8 PM

Friday, December 26

🏀 Women’s Basketball
Baylor opened Big 12 play with a heartbreaker, falling 61–60 to Texas Tech on Sunday in a game that came down to the final possession.

Next up: a road trip to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State on New Year’s Eve at 2 PM.

🏀 Men’s Basketball
The Bears roll into Christmas break on a hot streak and are back home Monday, December 29 at 3 PM against Arlington Baptist at Foster Pavilion.

Tickets start at $5, making this one of the easiest family outings of the week or a simple, memorable gift for a kid who would love seeing the Bears play in person.
🎟️ Tickets here

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Thanks for reading The Waco Buzz today. If you found something helpful, please share it with your co-worker who has the best Christmas sweater.

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways to get more involved:

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