Do you like going to church at Christmas but at no other time?

[ifigoup]

Through a complex series of events I have found myself responsible for organising some family-friendly Christmas events for a local church. I strongly feel that church should be accessible to anyone who wants to go, not just people who consider themselves religious. I know in the past I’ve been put off going by worrying about DC being noisy, or silly stuff like knowing when to stand up and sit down.

If you’re the kind of person who likes going to church at Christmas but not really at other times, what kind of event would you want to go to, especially with kids? What things would you want to know in advance that would make it easier for you?

I'm not religious, my grandparents are/were, so we all went to church for "events" growing up.

We enjoyed services that had a novelty factor so to speak. Or something familiar. Easter where you had a palm leaf cross. Harvest festival where we all brought donations. Christingle service was my favourite, munching raisins that had been pinned to an orange. And the Nativity service with the farmers donkey, and the carol service with hymns we actually knew were great. That was the worst bit about church actually. Hymns that went on forever that we'd never heard of, so I'd stick to mainly recognisable tunes.

You knew which services were directed at children. It involved an animal, or invited the younger members to dress up as Mary/Joseph. Or was just called "children's service" and was half an hour long. They put some small toys (non noisy ones) at the front of the pews too, for the very little ones. Often cake and squash at the end. If you make it family friendly, families will come.

Out local church does two pre-Christmas family events. One is a turn-up and take part nativity trail. Children are invited to come in costume or they can make a prop (crown, pipe-cleaner halo etc) when they arrive. Someone them tells the Christmas story, but everyone walks round the church, arriving at the various points, with a child in the appropriate costume being told what to do at each stage. It never works as it should, but it is very laid back, lots of toddler come, and my 4&6 year old love it. This normally takes place on a. Weekday afternoon after schools finish. After the walk about, there are cake and squash and the kid’s generally run round the church(!). The church warden generlly turn a blind eye, and it’s great for making everyone fee relaxed, comfortable and welcome.

The second event is a very laid back crib service on a Christmas Eve. The nativity is placed near the altar, there are a couple of family-friendly hymns, then all the children are invited to choose a soft toy from the back of the church and walk it to the nativity. Some toys are traditional nativity creatures, but there are knitted ducks, mice and just about any small animal that’s someone has managed to find in local charity shops. Last year, DS2 chose a seal pup! It’s all very sweet, very relaxed and very chaotic. Again, there are cakes and drinks afterwards, but the actual service only takes half an hour. It is always really busy and nobody turns a blind eye to children screaming or wandering round.

We always go to the Christingle on Christmas Eve.
Please sing well known Carols not strange new ones.

Great ideas! Thank you! I think we’ll definitely be going for the chilled and cosy vibe, with snacks a must!

We have a Christingle service and then a family carol service on Christmas Eve, not too late so kids can come.

I go to the Christingle service as a Brownie leader as quite a few other Guiders, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides go too. There isn't any pressure for Guiders to attend occasional church services in my area. I enjoy Christingle though.

No.

I grew up as a catholic and had to sit through stultifyingly boring mass every bloody sunday of my childhood and on good Friday, Christmas Day and other important dates. I also had to go to confession every Saturday and put up with constant indoctrination at catholic schools.

When I binned religion at 16, I did so completely. I now only ever enter churches for weddings and funerals.

i go to church at christmas for the carols and the atmosphere, so anything with plenty of singalong carols and some mince pies

I love a good Carol service with all the traditional carols - and some mulled wine / hot chocolate/ mince pies wouldn't go amiss!

Out church does a children's nativity service and all the children are encouraged to come dressed up as a "cast member" eg Mary, Joseph, a sheep etc.... They are then walked through the Christmas Story through the service

it is best to choose carols everyone has a chance of knowing

Once in Royal David's City, Hark the herald Angels, Away in a manger etc
all items just a few minutes long,
afterwards mince pies and hot chocolate, or other suitable snacks make life easy just mugs and things you can hold in one hand no one wants to be washing up for 2 hours afterwards

@GoldenEvilHoor
What about Christingle ?
Or maybe Health and Safety has banned lit candles ?

Animal blessing service nice .

No, members of my extended family go en masse, I think they are cf.
It's their custom to remember the dead on xmas eve.

I can't imagine what the regular attenders think, they must look cf as they almost fill the tiny little church.

I like carol services and christingles. But as PP said, stick to the old classic hymns

I don't think people do worry about their children being noisy.

I do. That's partly why we don't go that often because even though everyone swears they love kids in Church, I'm not convinced they actually do and I find it stressful.

We have a Christmas Messy Church which I help at and is usually the most popular of the Messy Churches that we do. We also have a Nativity service which is mostly led by the children and Christingle (although we have a new minister now and I'm not convinced he'll carry on it with).

I think anything with carols and food seems to go down well.

A church local to us does a carols by candlelight in a local park. It is always really popular and a lovely event. I think for some people the fact it is outside rather than in church makes them feel a little more comfortable.

I'm not religious at all but used to go to the odd Carol concert, christingle and also when I was very small I was in a couple of nativities in a cathedral. I found them all pretty magical. I don't think everything needs to be silly just because children are there, churches are pretty grand and impressive when you're little and that's enough. Mince pies wouldn't go amiss but other than that, just whatever you would do for adults.

Good old carol service every time!

My parents were practising Catholics and the local Anglicans sent a regular invitation to other local churches (and was open to anyone else who wished to attend, of course).

Their church was a huge Victorian-gothic barn and always got a good turn out. Those were the days of no or minimal heating in lots of churches and I don't think I'm misremembering that there were years when you could see your breath INSIDE the church However, I think the vicar had it carefully timed with a calculation of how much body heat we generated versus how long it would take for hypothermia to set in

Afterwards, coffee and mountains of mince pies in the church hall to warm us up. Lots of kind elderly women helpers encouraging the children to eat up the leftovers

Happy memories!

We (DH and I) always go to the Christingle service on Christmas Eve. It's always a lovely service with carols and a nativity of some description involving the children. (At a previous church it was a full dress up nativity production, at her current church they have children bringing up small knitted nativity characters to the stable as the Christmas story unfolds)

We also sometimes do the carols by candlelight service as it's so pretty and festive.

My SIL is a vicar for 3 small village parishes, so we attend her services

We don't go to church at any other time of year (except for the standard wedding/christening/funeral situations)

we do a 6pm Pyjama service where children (and adults if they like) are invited to come washed and in their pjs. The Church is dark apart from twinkly lights and a tree and we sing a few well known carols, tell a version of the Christmas story, say some short prayers and then everyone leaves quietly to go to bed and sleep until morning... (possibly)

Should say that is on Christmas Eve

Lapsed Catholic here. I love a carol service. So emotional. I always sit near the back or behind a pillar so I'm not stealing the seat of a more deserving regular.

I love the idea of the Christmas Eve pyjama service! Also the outdoor carols by candlelight, though I don’t know how much stamina the preschool crowd is likely to have if it’s cold!