Winnipeg churches are ensuring that those who struggle to celebrate the holiday season are given options to feel welcomed and loved.

Longest Night services, also known as Blue Christmas services, acknowledge those who may not find the same cheer and happiness in the Christmas season as others.

Some people have their reasons for experiencing grief during the holidays. Perhaps they lost a loved one, and this is the first Christmas without them, or maybe they are not welcome by their family to join them for Christmas festivities. Whatever the reason, churches seek to make sure these people are not alone during this time of the year.

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It normally happens on or around the winter solstice, right before Christmas, and it is not tied to any specific denomination.

Longest Night services have become increasingly popular in today's day and age. Some accounts trace the first service back to British Columbia in the late 1980s. 

Several churches in Winnipeg are hosting their own Longest Night services:

  • Transcona Memorial United Church - Sun, Dec 18 @7 p.m. (209 Yale Ave. W)
  • Faith Lutheran Church - Tue, Dec 20 @ 7 p.m. (1311 Dakota St.)
  • Harrow United Church - Tue, Dec 20 @ 7 p.m. (955 Mulvey Ave.)
  • Jubilee Mennonite Church - Tue, Dec 20 @ 7 p.m. (365 Edelweiss Cres.)
  • Grey Street United Church - Wed, Dec 21 @ 7 p.m. (651 Sandhurst Ave.)
  • Trinity United Church - Wed, Dec 21 (online only)
  • Windsor Park United Church - Wed, Dec 21 (online only)
  • Young United Church - Wed, Dec 21 @ 7 p.m. (100-222 Furby St.)

Jubilee Mennonite Church describes their Longest Night Service as simple and subdued. With little music, some scripture reading, time for meditation, prayer and reflection and lit candles. This is the most common setup for most services, allowing for more time for people to do what they need to have their spirits lifted, even if just a little.

Significance of the Candles

Whatever the reason someone may go to a Blue Christmas service—loss, grief, mental health issues, despair, etc.—Pastor Teresa Moysey says that everyone is welcome to Harrow United's service on December 20.

She connects faith and candles used in the service.

"The candles are a reminder that there's a light in the darkness, and it may not be a blazing light, but it is a light that lights only in the darkness. That reminds us that we're not alone."

Throughout the service, candles will be lit and people will be offered the opportunity to light candles themselves and attach any meaning to them.

Remember a loved one, the pain of separation from someone, job misfortunes, or health struggles. Good meanings can be made as well, as Moysey suggests, people can light candles to remind themselves that darkness is only temporary.

Moysey also mentions how God too was like a candle, shining in the dark.

"...light candles to be grateful for the gift of faith and the gift of hope that's in the Christmas story, even into a dark world, God chose then, even in that time, and even in this time, and we'll remember we're not alone."

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