If You Have Kids and Go to Christmas Eve Services

[readyin07]

I am curious what time that you go?

DH's family's church has a 1 or 2pm children's service and I am wondering if that is usual b/c it is awesome. Most churches here have evening services at 5, 7 and 9. My dad's side of the family does Christmas Eve together (has forever) and we're the only ones who go to church. Our regular church doesn't have a 7pm so we end up at whatever church is nearby who is hosting. We can make a 7pm service, but then it's a crush to get home and get the kids ready for bed. We have our own traditions here like putting out reindeer food and cookies for Santa, reading the Night Before Christmas and opening one gift (it's always a game that our Elf on the Shelf leaves us to play together).

 Last year everything felt rushed and it took a lot of the joy out of the evening for me. I think the kids didn't make the reading of the Night Before Christmas lol, I spent a lot of the service with DS2 who was 2 at the time in the kids room b/c he was amped up after playing with the cousins. Candlelight services on Christmas Eve are an important part of the holiday for DH (and I love them too), the kids and I love our secular traditions. Skipping the family event is not really optional while my grandmother is still alive -- we used to all get together 6-8 times a year and now it's just two times. Argh. I hate when the holidays mean trying to squeeze stuff in instead of enjoying what we are doing.

[Deleted]

4:30, not sure if we are going... I think DS would like it but I know DD will be a handful.

[Yankees21]

We go at 4pm. I've always liked it because then we go over to my ILs right after and it's not a super late night, and I'll like it even more this year with a 9 month old.

[bittybomb]

Our choices are 4 p.m. (also with a service in the school basement), 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

We are going to the 4 p.m. in the Church (I hope if we get there in time to not be relegated to the basement).

[irishbride2]

4 pm.

Its the time I've always gone on Christmas Eve. H grew up going to midnight mass but I've never been.

[oliveyou]

3:00

[renna]

11 PM. Kiddo is 6 and he does well in church.

[snipsnsnails]

Our Christmas Eve service is at 5pm, growing up is at 7pm. Going to one is the absolute, only non-negotiable for me in the entire holiday season. I want to go to a Christmas Eve service. And then read the Christmas Story to my kids either that night or that morning.

[shell24]

Catholic Churches are pretty regular- 2pm Children's choir mass, 4pm teen choir mass, a 6 or 7 pm and then midnight.

We go to 4pm, then out to dinner.

I can't wait until we can get back to midnight mass.

[cleo29]

The church near us has a wonderful family service at 4 on Christmas Eve. They let the kids take part in the nativity and dress them up and it leaves plenty of time for naps and parties that follow.

When I was growing up, we would go to midnight mass up in Brooklyn and it was still done in Latin, the whole thing.

[SpartanGirl]

We usually go to the 4:30 service which is then perfect timing to pick up Chinese food for dinner on the way home.

This year we're going to the 6:00 service because DH was asked to help at the service. It's going to be very rushed to get kids in bed afterwards.

[auntie]

The Presbyterians here do a Creche Christmas for younger families at 4 pm. It's really fun- they hand out robes, wings, shapards' crooks on the way in.

[katb]

We usually do the 5:00 service and have dinner afterwards. This year we are doing the 7:00 because my DH has to work later than normal. I think I am going to feed the kids a big snack before church, and then have dinner afterwards. I am preparing myself that they will not be in bed until 10. (but, they probably wouldn't go to sleep right away even if I could get them earlier).

[litebright]

Our church has 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. "children's" masses where they have a kids choir that sings.

We go to the 3 p.m. service. Actually, we send DH to the church between 1 and 2 p.m. so that he can save seats, because there is no way my kids would 1) do well with being expected to stand for an hour+, or 2) be anything but terrors if they were stuck in the church pew for 2-3 hours. He writes out his Christmas cards and plays on his phone while I get the girls ready, we arrive about 20-30 minutes early and it's already packed to the gills.

We get out at a reasonable time, go out for an early dinner, and then have the rest of the evening for a quiet Christmas Eve at home.

[macmars45]

Every church I've ever attended has a kid friendly service between 2pm-6pm and then a candlelight service between 7pm-9pm. I only remember attending the candlelight services growing up but we had a ton of family to help watch/take kids out if they're having issues in the service (my parents were and continue to always be in the service singing in the choir).

[hymen]

Our church does 5, 7, and 9. We go to the 5 service, which is the big children's service (it's a zoo - I love it).

[candreco]

Our church does a 4:30 children's service, which has the pageant/kids' choirs, and is super family friendly, no expectations that anyone is going to sit still or be quiet. Then there's 7:30 and 9:30 candlelight services, haven't been to those in 6 years now.

[adhdfashion]

7pm, we stay for as long as the girls can hang.

[pooh8402]

My dad's family's church has service at 5:30. It's a big hit in my small hometown, since a lot of people work, even on Christmas Eve. So it's late enough for people to go after work, but early enough to not get in the way of dinner. Lots of kids go.

[KKD]

I wish our church had a children's service! I know the local Presbyterian church does, but our Catholic church does not. We always go to our church's 4:00pm service. There is a separate mass in the parish center so we can usually find seating even if we get there right as mass is starting. And afterwards we celebrate Christmas Eve with my extended family. I like being able to keep Christmas morning low-key and unrushed.