Williams College students, faculty, staff  & community members will read traditional “lessons” from the Bible interspersed with Christmas carols and seasonal music. Students will offer A Prayer for the World and reflections on the recipient of the free-will offering. Chaplain to the College, the Rev. Valerie Bailey Fischer will offer a meditation on Luke 2.

The service, modeled on the traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols first held on Christmas Eve in 1918 at King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, England, has been described as one that “presents the Christmas story in an ambiance of mystery, splendor, hope and joy.”  The Service of Lessons and Carols has been a beloved holiday tradition at Williams since the 1960’s.