SSUC offers many diverse opportunities for celebrating the Christmas season. We hope you might find one that can add meaning to your December. All our gatherings at SSUC are open to all and you’re welcome just as you are. Join us in person, or online at ssucedmonton.com/live
Blue Christmas Gathering
Wednesday, December 17th,
DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, our gathering is cancelled. Instead, please view a short reflection on our Youtube channel here. Find also a written prayer to strengthen our intentions here.
Christmas is not always a festive and joyous season. This gathering honours that grief, loss and challenge can make this a very sad and blue month. Together, we seek comfort and hope for the complexity of our memories, emotions and expectations of the Christmas season.
Winter Solstice Gathering and Indoor Labyrinth Walk
Sunday, December 21st
Wrap yourself in the silence of solstice and meaning of the longest night
7:00-7:30pm: a brief solstice gathering that honours the gift of darkness
7:30-9:30pm: walk the labyrinth with gentle music to accompany you
Christmas Eve Gatherings
Wednesday, December 24th
10:00 am: A family and child-focused celebration that includes opportunities to immerse ourselves in the Christmas story with costumes, story-telling and Christmas carols. A safe candle-lighting time is a special way of ending this 45-minute fun-filled gathering. In person.
7:00 pm: An all-ages gathering with special music, a meaningful reflection, a time especially for children, and everyone’s favourite – growing the light with our Christmas candles. This gathering will be livestreamed at ssucedmonton.com/live.
9:00 pm: A quieter, more reflective candle-lit gathering to end the day, with readings, quiet music, and a meaningful reflection.
An SSUC Christmas Day Dinner: You Belong Here
When: December 25, 2025 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
The holidays can be a joyful time, but for many, Christmas can also feel isolating. You might be spending Christmas alone for any number of reasons; perhaps you’re far from family, navigating loss or change, working through a difficult season, or simply seeking a space where you can be your authentic self. We especially recognize that for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, the holidays can bring unique challenges, including not always feeling safe or fully accepted in every environment. Let’s create a Christmas day place for anyone – EVERYONE – to belong and celebrate the season. We’ll provide the turkey and potatoes; guests provide the other “Christmas Dinner Necessities.”
No Room in the Inn Christmas Eve Offering
Each Christmas, the Edmonton and District Council of Churches helps various Edmonton communities pool their resources to make a big difference in the community. The ‘No Room in the Inn’ campaign for 2025 will help bring much-needed safety improvements at WIN House. WIN House provides a safe haven for women and children fleeing violence in the Edmonton area. They offer temporary accommodation, nutritious meals, and valuable assistance in navigating support systems. WIN House empowers women to not only escape violence but to thrive in their new futures!
This year’s donations will help create much-needed safety improvements to one of the shelter’s backyard playground spaces. These funds will ensure a secure, welcoming play space that offers a more inclusive playground for young children and those with mobility or sensory needs. What an opportunity for us to help children experience joy, safety, and dignity without fear.
Donations can be made in the envelopes you’ll find here at SSUC on Christmas Eve (10am, 7pm, or 9pm) or by donating to SSUC online, noting ‘NO ROOM’ in the comments.