Christmas Carols in Advent - the dilemma

[quaeritor]

I'm caught in the cross fire beteween a pp who wants a carol service in Advent to be strictly a service of Advent carols and parishoners who want the only opportunity they have to sing carols of any sort to be an opportunity to sing their old favoutites - the geuinely "nativity" ones - and in particular the cheery ones they love to sing, not the gloomy penitential ones that are being suggeasted. It's an extra-liturgical service on a Sunday afternoon, but it is a "service", not a concert. Are there any guidelines? Is there any principle involved? What do other parishes do?

Should i just be unavaoidably occuped somewhere else?

Q

[Southern Comfort]

Better not to anticipate Christmas in Advent. After all, people wouldn't (we hope) find it acceptable to sing Easter hymns during Lent and Holy Week. Yes, I know King's do it on Christmas Eve, but by then we're almost there. If schools can, as increasingly seems to be the case, have an Advent liturgy rather than the "Christmas production", why can't parishes?

You say it's the only opportunity people have to sing their favourites, so why not simply give them another one? A Christmas carol service on the Sunday after Christmas, for example, is not beyond the bounds of human imagination. And why not make it ecumenical? — invite the other Christians in town. Or have an Epiphany party and sing all the favourite carols then. (Some of them go better on Epiphany anyway.)

[blackthorn fairy]

Yes, SC's suggestion of a carol service after Christmas is the answer IMHO. After all Q, the Christmas season goes on for quite a bit after the actual day. It's so annoying when people seem to think that it's all over after Boxing Day! GRRRRR!! On the other hand, what about having a little carol service with readings leading up to Midnight Mass as we do?