Find Christmas services near you
Churches publish their Christmas timetables from late November. Search your town or use your location to see what is on.
The services of a British Christmas
Carol services and Nine Lessons and Carols
The carol service is Britain's great seasonal institution. The classic form, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, alternates nine short Bible readings, tracing the story from the fall to the birth of Christ, with carols from choir and congregation. It was popularised at King's College, Cambridge, whose Christmas Eve service is broadcast around the world and marks the start of Christmas for many households. Your local parish version swaps the famous choir for candlelight, mulled wine and mince pies afterwards, and loses little in the exchange. Most carol services fall on the two Sundays before Christmas, usually in late afternoon or evening.
Christingle
A Christingle is an orange wrapped with a red ribbon, studded with sweets on cocktail sticks and topped with a lit candle: the world, the love of God encircling it, the good things of creation, and Christ the light. Christingle services, promoted in Britain by The Children's Society since 1968, are held from Advent through to Epiphany and raise money for vulnerable children. The moment the lights go down and a church full of children holds up flaming oranges is, against all odds, both chaotic and genuinely moving.
Crib services and Nativity plays
Christmas Eve afternoon belongs to the youngest. Crib services gather families around the manger scene as the figures are put in place, with carols and a told-not-preached story; children often come dressed as shepherds, angels or sheep, and at some churches the congregation's toddlers deliver an entirely unrehearsed Nativity on the spot. School halls and churches alike host fuller Nativity plays through December, tea towels on heads as tradition demands. These are the busiest and noisiest services of the year, and clergy would not have it any other way.
Midnight Mass
As Christmas Eve turns late, the mood changes. Midnight Mass, the first Communion of Christmas, is kept in Roman Catholic and most Anglican churches, typically starting at eleven or half past so that Communion falls at midnight itself. Candlelight, "O come, all ye faithful" at full stretch, and the walk home in the cold small hours of Christmas morning make it, for many, the most atmospheric service of the year. Free churches more often hold a late evening communion or a watchnight-style gathering.
Christmas morning
Christmas Day services are shorter, lighter and full of children clutching one new toy each, which the minister will inevitably ask them to show everyone. If Christmas falls on a Sunday, everything merges into one well-attended morning.
Practical notes for visitors
- Check the timetable. Christmas schedules differ completely from ordinary Sundays and vary church to church; websites and noticeboards carry the details from Advent onwards.
- Arrive early for carols and midnight. Popular carol services fill well before the start; twenty minutes early is sensible, more at a cathedral.
- Nobody expects expertise. The readings are famous, the carols are on the sheet, and half the congregation is in the same boat as you.
- Collections support real work. Christmas offerings commonly go to homelessness charities, The Children's Society or the church's own community work. Giving is welcome, never required.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Communion at Midnight Mass?
In a Roman Catholic church, Communion is for Catholics, though anyone may come forward for a blessing. Anglican practice generally welcomes baptised communicant Christians of any church. If in doubt, a blessing is always open to you, or simply remain in your pew.
Are these services suitable for children?
Emphatically, apart perhaps from Midnight Mass and its bedtime. Crib services, Christingles and Nativity plays are built for children, and a certain amount of wandering and shouting is priced in. See our guide to family-friendly churches.
I only ever go at Christmas. Will anyone mind?
No. Clergy plan the season precisely for the once-a-year congregation and are glad you came. If something about the candlelight catches you, January services are far quieter and the door stays open; here is what a normal Sunday is like.