The holiday season is one of the most popular times for churches, but this year things will have to look a little different to have a COVID compliant Christmas.

Churches have not been immune to all of the changes that 2020 has brought. This year has called for many updates that services have had to adapt to. With the holidays upon us, Christmas masses are some of the most heavily attended services of the year.

At Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, they will be live streaming their services and playing them on the radio. At St. Philip’s Catholic Church, they will be requiring parishioners to call ahead to reserve a spot to ensure social distance for Christmas Eve and Day masses. They have also had to adjust their yearly student Christmas pageant. Despite the circumstances, St. Philip’s is excited to celebrate this Christmas season.

Trinity Lutheran has one service on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day, and St. Philip’s will have three masses on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day.

By — Betsy Melin