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Why Attend a Family-Friendly Christmas Church Service?

If your family is like mine, your holiday calendar is about as complicated as Kevin McCallister’s plan to defend his house. But even Kevin sought sanctuary inside a church on Christmas Eve, and thousands of New Yorkers (and visitors) do the same year after year.

Aside from helping your family to reconnect with the reason for the season, checking out a Christmas mass or family-friendly church service can offer an authentic—and FREE!—NYC experience, whether you visit an iconic cathedral like St. Patrick’s or mingle with locals at a community church in Brooklyn.

Tips for Attending Christmas Masses and Church Services in NYC

• Plan your route ahead of time and leave early. Subway service is often disrupted on weekends and holidays, and above-ground travel across the city hits its peak during Christmastime. Since Christmas church services are popular and can be crowded, try to arrive 15-20 minutes ahead of time (earlier if it’s an especially busy location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral).
• Check the church’s website before you go. It’s always good to confirm the location and time of the service and double-check any info on childcare or children’s programming. I also like to check out the welcome page or some photos to get a feel for the dress code. Some churches are dressier, while others keep it casual. Most will tell you to dress comfortably and come as you are.
• Pack some quiet activities and non-messy snacks for little ones. My family still laughs about the exploding cereal incident of 1992, when my parents popped open the lid of my little brother’s snack container in church, causing hundreds of Cheerios to go airborne before raining down on everyone within a five-pew radius. These days we have pouches, thankfully. I also like to pack a coloring book and some crayons to keep my little one occupied if there isn’t a separate children’s class.
• Don’t feel like you have to donate money during offering time. These churches are free to attend, and most congregations don’t want visitors to feel a sense of guilt or obligation when it comes to giving. Many of the churches on this list don’t even pass around offering baskets anymore, instead opting for digital donation choices.

Family-Friendly NYC Church Services Before Christmas

Blessing of the Bambinelli – Multiple locations

Saturday, December 13-Sunday, December 14, 2025
Many Catholic churches throughout NYC’s five boroughs celebrate the Blessing of the Bambinelli on the third Sunday of Advent. Families with nativity scenes at home are encouraged to bring their baby Jesus figurines to church to be blessed. Check your local church website or call to find out if a parish near you is participating. A sampling of churches taking part includes St. Catherine of Siena on the Upper East Side, Holy Rosary-Nativity of Our Blessed Lady in Baychester, the Bronx, and St. Saviour in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Gateway Church – Charleston, Staten Island

Sunday, December 14, 2025
This church is holding a family-friendly Christmas concert from 6-7:30pm. Gateway also has a Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at 4pm.

St. Francis Xavier – Park Slope, Brooklyn

Sunday, December 14, 2025
The parish of St. Augustine-St. Francis Xavier in Park Slope is holding a Lessons & Carols service at 3pm at St. Francis Xavier on 6th Avenue. The church also has a midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

The Brooklyn Tabernacle – Downtown Brooklyn

Friday, December 19-Sunday, December 21, 2025
The Brooklyn Tabernacle is one of the largest multicultural churches in NYC and regularly attracts tourists eager to listen to its heavenly-sounding gospel choir. Brooklyn Tab is holding three days of family Christmas shows in its auditorium-style sanctuary the weekend before Christmas (if you walk around downtown Brooklyn, you've probably seen the ads on trash cans). There's a show on Friday at 7:30pm, one on Saturday at 2pm, and two afternoon performances plus a live stream on Sunday, December 21. The Broadway-quality show features dancers, musicians, singers, and a Christmas story.

Bridge Church NYC – Downtown Brooklyn

Sunday, December 21, 2025
This lively church isn’t afraid to get loud inside the warehouse-style restaurant space it rents out on Sunday mornings. Its Christmas service this year is at 10:30am and features a performance led by kids of all ages. After the first part of the service, parents have the option of sending their children to classrooms across the street for a Christmas party. Inside tip: Bring headphones or earplugs for little ones who are sensitive to loud music.

Fordham Community Church – Fordham Heights, the Bronx

Sunday, December 21, 2025
This bilingual church is holding two Christmas services. Pastor Ramny Perez said families are welcome to visit the Spanish service at 9:45am or the English service at 11:45am. The church is located on Creston Avenue, and it is just a 20-minute bus ride from the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden.

Redeemer Church has locations uptown, downtown, and in Brooklyn—and each has a family-friendly offering this holiday season. 

Redeemer Church – Multiple Locations

Multiple Dates
Redeemer is a network of multicultural Presbyterian churches with several locations in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. Its nonprofit, Hope for New York, serves families throughout NYC—and provides lots of cool opportunities for families with children and teens to serve others during the holidays and beyond.

Redeemer Brooklyn just opened earlier this year and has attracted many young families, as seen by the crowded area Pastor David Lee affectionately calls "Stroller City." Two family-friendly Lessons & Carols services are held on Sunday, December 21, each featuring a kids’ performance. The services are at 10am and 12pm. The church meets on the fifth floor of St. Francis College at 179 Livingston Street in downtown Brooklyn.

Redeemer Downtown meets at the Salvation Army building on West 14th Street in Chelsea. Its Lessons & Carols services on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at 10am and 5pm, are both family friendly, with children’s programming offered during the morning service for babies through middle schoolers. A festive family photo booth and FREE hot cocoa are available after both services. There’s also a family-friendly Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at 5pm with a photo booth and hot cocoa afterward.

Redeemer East Side is holding Lessons & Carols services on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at 9am, 11am, and 5pm on the Upper East Side. Children’s programming is available for babies through preschoolers. For Lessons & Carols, older children sit with their parents, but the church noted that its usual services, including Sunday, December 21, 2025, include an 11am class for children with special needs or different abilities. The church is also holding Christmas Eve services on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at 5pm and 7pm, with optional childcare for babies through preschoolers at the 5pm service.

Redeemer Lincoln Square holds two Lessons & Carols services on Sunday, December 14, 2025. The services feature music and scripture readings in a variety of languages from around the world. The church meets inside the New York Society for Ethical Culture at 2 West 64th Street.

Redeemer West Side holds Lessons & Carols services at 4pm and 6pm on Sunday, December 14, 2025, on the Upper West Side. West Side Kids has programming for children ages 0 through Pre-K. Older children are welcome to sit with their parents. The church is also holding Christmas Eve Candlelight Services on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at 4pm and 6pm, with children’s programming available for the littlest ones only at the 4pm service.

Beautiful music is one of the trademarks of the family-friendly services at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. 

2025 Christmas Eve Church Services in NYC for Families

Cathedral of St. John the Divine – Morningside Heights

This massive Episcopal cathedral holds a family-friendly Lessons & Carols service at 4pm on Christmas Eve, but get there half an hour early to enjoy the musical prelude. No passes are required, and everyone is welcome. The service is streamed on YouTube.

Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph – Crown Heights, Brooklyn

If you have kids who can stay up late, this beautiful cathedral is hosting Christmas carols at 11pm on Christmas Eve, followed by a midnight mass. On Christmas Day, the co-cathedral holds three services in three different languages: Creole at 9am, English at 11am, and Spanish at 1:30pm.

First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York – Greenwich Village

This beautiful church near Union Square is holding two Christmas Eve services and welcomes families to join. The services are at 4pm and 11pm on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

New Life Fellowship – Elmhurst, Queens

This multiracial congregation is holding several kid-friendly Christmastime events (some requiring advance registration). Its Christmas Eve Candlelight Services are at 4pm and 6pm on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

Queens Church – Woodside, Queens

This multi-ethnic church is holding two Christmas Eve services, at 5pm and 6:30pm. Pastor Larry Mayberry says the services are one hour long and good for families. Expect Christmas carols, candle lighting, and an encouraging message, with a homemade cookie decorating bar after each service.

Salem Church – Staten Island

This church has two locations: Salem Mid-Island meets at an AMC movie theater, and Salem Clove Lakes meets at 634 Clove Road. Both are holding candlelight Christmas Eve services at family-friendly times between 2 and 5:30pm.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Midtown Manhattan

Don’t attempt to show up to midnight mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown—unless you’re one of the lucky lottery winners or a registered member of the parish. The lottery for this wildly popular Christmas Eve mass closed at the start of October, but there are other options available with more family-friendly times, including a family mass at 5:30pm on Christmas Eve. Plan to arrive much earlier if you want to score a seat. I'd recommend at least an hour early! The mass is also livestreamed.

Trinity Church – Financial District

This gorgeous church in Lower Manhattan offers a host of Christmastime services during the second half of December, including its Family Eucharist and Christmas Pageant on the afternoon of Christmas Eve at 3pm. The service features hymns sung by the Trinity Youth Chorus and members of Trinity Choir, with NOVUS Brass.

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A previous version of this post was published in 2015. All photos courtesy of the churches