Given how disastrous this year has been and the latest lockdown, it’s not surprising that people are not exactly feeling the Christmas spirit. So I was asked to check in to a virtual carol service to compare it with the real thing.
Hackney Church has four locations around East London. The church is well known for its annual Christmas carol event and nativity play. But this year things were a little different, with a limited and socially distanced audience having to pre-book tickets online.
So that meant that if you were not lucky enough to get tickets for their six in-person carol services held across East London you’d have to watch one of the two online versions streamed via YouTube and Facebook. In the end 800 people tuned in, including me, to see if this live stream could light that Christmas magic in me.
The online service started with clips of diverse families and people getting ready for Christmas. Then began a countdown to the start of the service.
The carols featured a full band and singers all of who socially distanced. The sound was perfect, and the visuals were perfect. But it did not feel magical to me. This is because carol services are usually about people crowding into a church to snuggle up together to sing and make happy memories.
Some of the songs they played and sang were traditional, but the presence of microphones and moving cameras did make it feel like an extended music video rather than a carol service. Filming in a big space with low light is not easy, but it meant the colours were muted and you didn’t get the colours and sparkle of the decorations, which also dulled down the mood.
Christmas carols to most of us mean memories like standing outside surrounded by people and singing without any musicians whilst holding onto a scrap of paper with the lyrics on. So this was all a bit slick for me. It made me realise that it’s not about the songs at all, it’s about the shared experience of singing them.
Also, although people tuned in, they did not make use of the ability to share comments or messages, which made it feel as if I was just watching a regular video on YouTube rather than being part of a shared experience. But you can decide for yourself by watching the video below.
But the creativity and effort Hackney Church put into adapting to this Christmas was phenomenal and the work they do for the community deserves our support.
Details of the church can be hound here.
