Are you serious? It’s time to get ready for Christmas services already?
This has been an, um, interesting year, to say the least. On one hand, it feels like it has flown by. On the other hand, it’s hard to believe that it’s still 2020…it feels like this year has lasted a decade already!
But, ready or not, Christmas is coming. And this promises to be a Christmas season unlike any other that we’ve experienced in the church world.
So, as we embark on prepping for the most unique Christmas in recent memory, there are a few things that we need to be keeping in mind as we look down the road to the end of the year.
1-Line up purchases or rentals early
Many manufacturers naturally slow down equipment production towards the end of the year anyway, so they don’t have a ton of extra inventory on the shelf when the calendar turns over. But this year, knowing some companies have had production issues, either due to high demand and backlogged production timelines or due to component or financial limitations that have limited their production ability, it will be better to get ahead of the curve instead of waiting until the last minute when inventory might not be available.
Likewise, if there will be requests for gear rentals to supplement what you currently own, trying to reserve that gear as soon as possible will help mitigate any inventory crunch that might exist in the rental world.
2-Know the condition of your volunteer teams
Christmas services tend to be more involving than a typical Sunday service, and as such, might require more teams to be involved. But knowing that Christmas is in the middle of the winter, when people usually tend to get sick with normal ailments, complicates things this year due to the risk of those people also having COVID symptoms.
It would be wise to consider having more people scheduled for roles this year as in years past, and potentially have “understudy” options like the Theater world. Perhaps there are rotating teams that alternate running rehearsals, or a second group of people who are familiar with the flow but just observe from a distance. Or, maybe we just video-record the rehearsals and make those available for other team members to watch at home to get understand the process.
This could provide extra depth in case of an unexpected, last-minute sickness or cancellation, or, in a worst-case scenario, if a whole group of team members have to quarantine due to having been in close proximity to each other.
Through whatever means, it could be worth just doing extra duty on the scheduling front this year, just to ensure that there’s depth available as needed.
3-Measure the impact of distancing
We are probably already used to the idea of distancing our Production teams in booths, and with our music teams on stage. But what about for those who normally do big Christmas productions? How would that be impacted?
There may be a need to spread out choir members for cantatas or the legendary “Singing Christmas tree.” Blocking may have to be adjusted for any sort of theatrical performance. Kids reading or reciting the Luke passage of Jesus’ birth might have to be spaced across the stage instead of clumped together.
Beyond the people element, there will be a technical impact, as well. We may need more risers and choir mics since people can’t stand close together. We may need more lighting fixtures to expand a speaking wash, or at the very least, the existing speaking was may have to get refocused. We might need extra cameras to cover the talent now spread across the stage.
It may take more work than usual to map out blocking and spacing, and it will be critical to plan ahead and communicate why everyone needs to stay on their “X” (even though they’ll probably still move anyway).
4-Cater more to the online audience
For my church’s Christmas services, more energy is put into creating a moment in the room than determining how to create a moment through the camera for those watching online. That may need to change this year.
Instead of having performance pieces that require a “feel” of the room just by being in the space (to see visual elements like lighting or effects that may occur away from the stage), we might need to keep more programming focused around the stage area that could get captured on camera. Likewise, if there would be a complicated musical element with lots of moving parts and vocals spread all across the stage, it may make sense to pre-record that element to better capture it on camera, mix the audio, and then have available as a video that plays in the service.
Or, to even take it a step farther, what if the whole Christmas experience was pre-recorded for the online audience, and something separate happened live and in person? Performance pieces could be scripted better and have the audio mastered (and would likely benefit from multiple takes), and the pastor could tailor his delivery straight to the camera without having to worry about neglecting a live audience in the room.
Plus, having a pre-recorded service online removes any fear of having live streaming or bandwidth issues that could happen with a higher-than-usual audience trying to tune in on Christmas Eve to watch as it happens. This might then allow the live event to occur with perhaps less stress or angst, and might even afford more flexibility for that experience, since it would just be geared towards the in-room crowd without having to translate anything towards online.
5-Don’t forget about copyrights
There may be people already having to navigate this world online that previously hadn’t been used to doing it; the preponderance of people streaming now dwarfs the number that existed six months ago.
Copyright licensing is required in order to perform any song currently protected by a copyright; public domain pieces don’t necessarily apply.
But since Christmas services tend to encompass more elements than a typical Sunday service, like secular music, show tunes, and perhaps even video clips, doing homework ahead of time regarding licensing is a necessary step.
Will Facebook or YouTube shut down our live stream if their algorithms detect prerecorded music? Do our existing CCLI and CVLI licenses cover secular music, showtunes, and movie clips?
It will be worth the time to do research, ask questions, and plan ahead so as to avoid as many last-minute surprises as possible.
In actuality, doing as much pre-planning as possible is going to be a huge win. For something as big as a Christmas service, eliminating variables and mitigating risks ahead of time will be almost necessary steps to try and cut back on the amount of stress.
It’s a season of joy, not stress and chaos. So in our time remaining, let’s use the weeks wisely to ensure that it can be an excellent ending to what has been a chaotic and unpredictable year.
