Nope - my churches have only ever had Xmas eve services, not Xmas day - unless Xmas day was Sunday, and then they did!

I grew up Anglican , and yes, we had Christmas Day Services.  My understanding is that our  United church has only ever had Christmas Day services if it falls on a Sunday.

Memories of those services.

I was young. I was in the choir.  Our choir director gave us each a silver dollar at the end of the service for coming.   

I was the only one that went off to church -- i joked in later years, that I was our families offering.

Christmas morning, the other kids would be waiting in the living room, perched on the couch, with their noses up against the picture window... As I got out of his car, and walked towards the door, they would yell..."she's here, she's here"....and then Christmas could start.

Don't remember much about the services.....Just remember being shipped off to church and the joy when I got home.

 My predecessor here introduced Christmas Day services during his ministry. They were fairly poorly attended from what I understand. I told my Council when I arrived that I really preferred not to do a Christmas Day service. They agreed to dispense with it for 1 year and see what the feedback was. There was none. The subject hasn`t been raised since.

I`ve only done Christmas Day services when December 25 was a Sunday.

Likewise.

We have always had a Christmas Day service (at least in my 23 years), and this follows two Christmas Eve services (an early pageant and late Communion with full choir - usually attended by 700-800).  I love the Christmas Day service - it is quiet with the readings, prayers, carols and sermon - and we usually have 125 or so in the congregation.

The year it fell on a Sunday, we had about 30 people out of 150.  Everyone was invited to come in comfy clothes, kids in pyjamas.  There was not much of a sermon, but a good story instead, and we sang some carols, and it had a nice feel to it.  I wore big fuzzy slippers.

However, for me, I love the 7pm service, quiet, exciting, christmassy, candley, with some fun element to it - short & sweet.  I seem to talk in hushed tones, everyone has a sparkle in their eye, and then we have Christmas!  once I'm home, I'm relaxed and ready for family and hot chocolate or a glass of wine, or cider, and everything is just fine.   I find anything extra (including the 10pm services) to be more than I need. 

It's a tradition in one of my churches to have one - it's informal and short (and poorly attended) but the powers that be want to keep it...

In recent years there has been an emphasis on celebrating Advent as a time of preparation for Christmas.

Before that, with little emphasis on Advent, all of December seemed to me almost like an extended Christmas season (encouraged by the commercial aspects of Christmas festivities).

So I think it is the "Advent is a time of preparation" celebration that is making me feel I am somehow short-changing the Christmas event if I don't include some kind of worship service on Christmas Day.

When I think of the whole of December as an extended "Christmas season", then I feel more comfortable worshipping on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day.

I don't feel strongly about it either way, but I was curious to know what happens elsewhere.

My favourite service has been Christmas day at our church. It was a fairly informal service and a small bunch of regulars in attendance. Half of the attendees were from one family, A couple, their three adult children and spouses and their five grandchildren. There would be about that many others in attendance. The service would end in a circle at the altar to share communion. It was a nice way to celebrate Christmas.

Our minister left this year, and the two clergy who are currently helping us are not available. We talked about meeting anyway, but decided against it this time. Hopefully we can do it next year.

My previous parish in Montreal held the first UCC Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services in the city in 1940. Many UCC congregations only started holding Christmas Eve services in the late 1960's. Both are relatively new in the UCC. We finally discontinued the Christmas Day service when the serving elders outnumbered the congregation.

I always found Christmas Day hard, after doing two services for about 300 people on Christmas Eve , finishing work at midnight, then having to be back at work for 9am. It made it very hard to have any time with my family.

Christmas Day services are about as popular as Maundy Thursday. Both are the result of the Liturgical Revival movement, which is why they have never really caught on.