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Where to Watch Church Services on Christmas Eve 2024
You can attend a special Christmas Eve mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome from the comfort of your home.
For many, attending church on Christmas Eve is a sacred tradition to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. And in 2024, you can be transported to Vatican City to watch a beautiful Christmas Eve mass led by Pope Francis on NBC.
Read on for everything you need to know to watch Christmas Eve church services on TV in 2024.
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Where can you watch Christmas Eve church services on TV in 2024?
NBC News is airing a special midnight mass broadcast from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Christmas Eve. You can watch the church services led by Pope Francis on Tuesday, December 24 starting at 11:30 p.m. ET until 1 a.m. ET on NBC.
While you need to reserve tickets up to six months in advance to attend the Pope’s Christmas Eve mass in person, you’ll be able to watch the services and avoid crowds from the comfort of your home.
There will also be an English translation voiceover; in 2023, Father Manuel Dorantes from St. Mary of the Lake-Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Chicago provided the English commentary for viewers at home.
Throughout the mass, you’ll hear music by the Sistine Chapel Choir, who’ve traditionally begun the services with “Noel.”
In addition to the mass itself, you’ll also get to see the Vatican’s magnificent Christmas tree in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, the evergreen on display in Saint Peter’s Square is decorated with thousands of LED lights, as well as ornaments and other decorations. The tree has been a tradition since 1982, started by Pope John Paul II, “as a symbolic sign that denotes ‘Christ is evergreen,’” according to the Vatican.
It’s a Wonderful Life airs on NBC on Christmas Eve
Before Christmas Eve mass, you can watch It’s a Wonderful Life on Tuesday, December 24 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The movie, starring Jimmy Stewart, will wrap up at 11 p.m., just before midnight mass services begin at 11:30 p.m. ET.
Released in 1946 and directed by Frank Capra, It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of a guardian angel who’s sent from heaven to help George Bailey, a frustrated businessman, realize what life would have been like if he never existed.
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The classic holiday movie line-up continues on Christmas Day. You can watch Jim Carrey’s 2000 version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas on Wednesday, December 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC. You can also stream the original 1966 TV movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and 2018’s animated The Grinch on Peacock at any time.
