Christingle - what happens?

[EverReadyEddy]

Just that really.

For years we've gone to our local church carol service on Christmas Eve but we moved in the spring and our new church has a Christingle service rather than a carol service.

I've not been to a Christingle service before. And we've not got round to going to the new church either. We're more 'high-days and holidays' kind of church goers.

Anyway, are we going to stick out like sore thumbs if we go and don't know what to do?

[Marmite27]

You sing a song to an orange in the dark, and try to avoid being set alight by infant school children holding lit candles!!

I jest, it's a lovely service, one of my favourites in fact. DD has been baptised Catholic, and I'm sad they don't do them

[AnthonyPandy]

And the orange is wrapped in a red ribbon and the lights are turned off when the candles are lit.

It's very pleasant!

[EverReadyEddy]

I'm really not sure it would be a good idea for my DS to be holding a candle.

Are the oranges already made at Sunday School? Will it be obvious what we have to do and when? At a Carol Service you just turn up, sing and work out when you're supposed to sit down/stand up. A lit orange sounds a bit more involved.

This is why I don't go to church. It's too stressful.

[timeforsomethingnew]

Gorgeous for younger kids - our church used to do it on Xmas eve and as the church got dark and the children lit their candles, we'd sing away in the manger in the candlelight. In all the craziness leading up to Xmas I would exhale and feel the real Christmas spirit wash over me.

Very atmospheric and the christingle has lovely meaning too - then the kids scoff the sweets!

[Quokka12]

It is our church's most popular service - we spend the sat before making the Christingles (satsuma with a ribbon - birthday candle and 4 cocktail sticks with jelly tots and marshmallows) at the service the kids light them while we sing a carol and we process - yet to set anyone on fire with50+ kids most years if not more. I think it is more accessible than the crib services and just a lovely way to welcome in Christmas x

[Quokka12]

Oh and no sticking out like sore thumbs it is the service we expect once a year comers and never been before comers and pitched for that x

[Oblomov16]

Cristingle is a totally lovely service, aimed at children. How old is your son? I'm sure he'd love to hold an orange, light the candle, with some assistance and eat the sweets. Every other child I have ever seen there totally loves it. I love it. I too wish the Catholic Church did it.

[Wayfarersonbaby]

There's meant to be a symbolic association with each bit of the christingle - the orange is the world, the red ribbon Christ's blood, the raisins/sweets on sticks are the fruits of the world, the lit candle is Christ the light of the world. Or something like that, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I haven't been to one for years but our church nearby also does one on Christmas Eve and I'd like to go (we were away last year). When I was young our church always had one - not on Christmas Eve but the week before - and the little children paraded in holding the christingles and sang carols. It sounds like a health and safety nightmare, looking back - how we didn't all burn our fingers/set ourselves alight I don't know!

[EverReadyEddy]

Sounds wonderful.

We'll see the vicar for the Harvest Festival service so I'll just have to be brave and ask him what the deal is.

[missyB1]

We go to two christingle services every year. One at school and one at church on Christmas Eve. We love it!

[EverReadyEddy]

He'll be nearly 5. If there's an accident to be had, he normally has it. I'll just have to put the first blanket in my bag

[Needfinsnow]

Christingles are lovely, make me tear up every time, our church get the children to sing "away in a manger" when the candles are lit and lights go out, such a beautiful part of Christmas! It's always super busy and the schools are invited, it's a very child focused service (here anyway) and the vicar explains every part so you wo t look out of place, in fact a good 75% of those who go to it hardly ever go to church! Enjoy (in 3 months time!!) xx

[CharleyDavidson]

At our local church we don't parade with them. They are given out at a certain point in the service and then someone comes along the pews with a lit one and lights the candle of the one on the end. Who then passes the light down the row.
Hair tied back, take care that there's a lip of foil around the base of the candle (to catch hot wax drips) and be prepared to grab and/or blow it out as required.

Lights then go off and you sing a carol. We usually end up singing Away in a Manger at that point. Also a song called Sing Christingle, to the tune of Sing Hosanna. (Which I like).

It's a nice service.

[CharminglyGawky]

They are lovely but don't wear anything dangly or you might just catch fire. Every single one I have been to has involved overexcited small children with open flames often not being very well supervised as their parents chat Think sparklers without the handy buckets of water to drop them in.

Nobody has actually set anyone alight yet so maybe I am a bit OTT to worry but I do anyway!

The smell of the oranges is lovely, when I was little we used to decorate our oranges with cloves as well as the ribbon, smells sooooo Christmassy!

[dodobookends]

No big deal - like a normal service + carols, all that's different is that the minister tells the Christingle story and the meaning of the decorated oranges. The oranges will be ready-assembled.
If it is anything like our church, they will have a very sensible fire safety talk early on, and everything is explained. You all go in a queue to the vestry door in line and the orange with the lit candle is handed to you. Plenty of buckets of water round the church if needed as well. DC's manage well (tie long hair back before you go though).

[Thatwaslulu]

Our church does a hybrid of carols and oranges. The oranges have marshmallows attached to them with cocktail sticks and a small candle wedged in the middle rather than a separate candle. We go every year and even if we don't go to any other service (try to go at Easter) we don't miss this. I was christened at a Christingle service many years ago.