Who still goes to church on Christmas Eve? - & is taking young children and babies acceptable

[questionqueeen2022]

I have found God again in the recent months (6months) and oh my, how glad I am I did.

I love him. He's peace and light and king.

He's answered my prayers and saved me and so I wanted to go and pay my respects and worship Jesus on Christmas Eve. I took my kids along. I am teaching my youngest DD (4) all about our Lord saviour and how to worship him❤️. She's very interested but does find church long and a bit boring she said. I get that I used to as a child too. I also took my baby boy 10 months. They were both good but ofcourse they did make "some" noise. People looked over from time to time I just reminded my 4yo to be respectful and she did. They both did so well. Would you be annoyed if you were attending mas and there were young children?

Merry Christmas everyone - have a blessed evening.

Go c of e Christmas eve is usually the crib service for children
wasnt everyone dressed up as shepherds and angels ?

Children of any age welcome at our church, anyone of any age is very welcome.

If they're not welcoming of kids, then they have no future as a church. I take my 4yo and 9 months old and people are only ever lovely

I'd be pleased to see a young family there. No one should ever make you feel uncomfortable for taking your family to church no matter their age. Definitely not very Christian of them if they do and it's a reflection of them not you xx

I go to the watch night service at 11.30 pm Christmas eve then tomorrow at 11 with my son.

Children are welcome in the church otherwise it will die. Also I think a lot of the people who complain about the kids forget how their kids behaved when they were younger.

Absolutely, children are more than welcome at church, especially at Christmas. I've been to the nativity service today with several gc and it was packed with kids. I wouldn't take them to midnight mass later, but there will be a family service in the morning and the more children the merrier. You and your children will be made very welcome, as you are

100%
We went to early mass tonight 5pm. We're catholics and practicing all my life. Dc attend Catholic school completed sacraments regular church goers, church was full of families and children and they are usually lots of babbling/screaming/crying ha!! They are the future if we want churches to continue!

Echo what everyone else has said- children are more than welcome in the church. Our vicar is great at including them, which is good as I think it helps the parents feel more relaxed.

I took my 3.5yo and 8month old to the 1hr Christingle service on Sunday and the 20mins children's crib service today. My 3.5yo struggled a bit towards the end on Sunday but had a great time today. So I think I'll probably just stick to the crib service for now until the littlest is older. Noone was bothered on Sunday but it was hard work for me keeping DD1 occupied and not causing chaos 😅

We've just been to Christingle - we've been taking the DCs since they were tiny.
We go to a small very traditional CofE church on a housing estate (church is at least 100 years older than most of the houses) and the quiet service with the same liturgy every time really suits small children. There's a toy corner and a Sunday school but they are 10 and 12 now and they take a small board game or colouring for the sermon and follow along with the rest now. DS has SEN but he's always been welcome there and he now rings the bell in communion.
I feel like enjoying services now is my reward for taking them week in, week out for their entire lives!

I've just come back from children's mass with my baby! It was my first Christmas since having him and the story of mother and child "hit different" as they say this year. Happy Christmas to you and your family :)

It is wonderful to see the youngest generation in church, and I would probably be one of those looking as I get great joy from seeing children doing what children innocently do … and if they are crying, to pull a face or silently play ‘peep bo’ as that very often stops them.

All ages are welcome at any of our services.

Saying that, you would not expect to see many young families at midnight. We have a crib service at 4pm on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning is the big time for all ages, and it is very child-friendly.

I took DD to the crib service today at 4. Every year there's fewer and fewer children. It's the same church that's packed out for the school carol concert (primary school is just next for) so not for a lack of local people.

DH took DS(5) to mass tonight at 6. There were lots of children there - he goes to the linked Catholic primary school so there were some of his classmates and teachers there too. It was definitely a service for children with lots of carols sung with gusto!

Thank you all. I am probably being paranoid as I felt awkward disturbing everybody else's service who were sat around me. I'm sure they thought the same as you all and it's probably me being paranoid. Thanks for confirming that kids are welcome it makes me feel much better. I want my children growing and learning in the church. I was never taken to church as a child; just baptised. I did go to a catholic school that's the only time I went. No one around me is really practising and I want to change all of that! I want to give my life to God, again, through my own choice now that I am grown up and have knowledge.

I wouldn’t ever be annoyed to see a child at church. 🥰

“People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.
But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Luke 18:15-17

Merry Christmas!
God bless you & your children xx