Amid the color and brightness of the holiday season, with shops and homes adorned in holiday finery and Santa Claus one of the most popular people around, South Whidbey’s churches are planning their holy celebrations for the Christmas season, beginning this weekend and continuing through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

• Langley United Methodist Church will recognize “The Longest Night” in a service of solace at 7:30 this evening. Open to all members of the community, this is a quiet service for people who are sad or troubled at this time of year because of the death of a loved one, because they are unable to be with their families, or because of the general stress of the season.

For many people, said Pastor David Vergin, Christmas can be a painful time.

“Perhaps it’s the first Christmas without a loved one. Maybe it is a time that brings back difficult memories. For some it is a reminder that they cannot be with their families because of distance or estrangement. For others the stresses of the season trigger feelings of uneasiness or depression,” Vergin said.

And the constant refrain on radio and television about the happiness of the season reminds people of what they have lost or never had.

This service of solace will provide a time for people to acknowledge sadness or uneasiness at this time of year. The message of the evening is, “We are not alone.” Through a quiet, unhurried sequence of elements participants are offered the opportunity to reflect and regroup for the days ahead.

“The group of people who gather is usually not large,” Vergin said. “But the feeling of warmth among those present is wonderful.” The church is at Third and Anthes; 221-4233.

Langley Methodist will hold Christmas worship Dec. 22 at 9:30 a.m., and Christmas Eve candlelight services at 4:30 and 11 p.m. Dec. 24. On Jan. 4, Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel will present their annual Twelfth Night Concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts.

• First Baptist Church of South Whidbey will present its annual Christmas program and brunch at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 22. The public is invited. The church is at 2277 Newman Road, Langley. Call 321-8218 or 321-4457 for more details.

• The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island will hold a holiday service Dec. 22 featuring its choir and musicians with stories and traditions from around the world. It is an intergenerational service, so children are welcome.

UUCWI meets at 4 p.m. in the Chapel Sanctuary of Trinity Lutheran Church, Freeland. Call 321-8656 for information.

• At House of Prayer, the season’s celebration will be Dec. 22, with a coffee hour at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. worship service. Childcare is provided for children 8 months to 3 years old.

The church is at 5719 Pioneer Park Place off Highway 525 south of Bayview. Call 321-6070 for more information.

• The Christian Science Society of South Whidbey will meet at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 22, when the subject of the Bible lesson-sermon will be, “Is the universe, including man, evolved by atomic force?” The church is at 2411 E. Highway 525, across from Useless Bay Road.

• South Whidbey Assembly begins its Christmas observances at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. services Dec. 22, with “Come-‘n’-Go” communion at 6 p.m. A one-hour Christmas Eve service will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 24. The church is on Maxwelton Road in Langley.

• Langley C&MA Church, at Sixth and Cascade in Langley, will hold a Christmas Celebration service at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 22 and a candlelight service Dec. 24 at 7 p.m.

• Maxwelton Christian Fellowship will hold a Christmas Celebration service at 11 a.m. Dec. 22. On Christmas Eve, Dec, 24, the church will mark the day with a candlelight service beginning at 4 p.m. Included will be a dramatic presentation called “Thanks for the Memories.”

Maxwelton Christian Fellowship is a Free Methodist congregation. The church is at Maxwelton and French roads, Clinton; 579-5340.

• St. Hubert Catholic Church will present a program at 4 p.m. Dec. 22, based on the famous Festival of Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge, England. Readers and the choir from St. Hubert’s will be joined by participants from Langley United Methodist, St. Augustine’s-in-the-Woods Episcopal and Trinity Lutheran churches.

The festival was first held on Christmas Eve 1880 and performed in Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. It was revised in 1919 and moved to King’s College. Sometime in the early 1930s the BBC began broadcasting the service on overseas programs. Light refreshments will be served following this special Advent service.

Christmas week observances will begin on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, when St. Hubert will celebrate a family Mass at 5 p.m. with the music of Beverly Graham. Midnight Mass will begin at 11 p.m. with the full choir participating.

The Mass of Christmas Day will be celebrated with the choir at 10 a.m. Dec. 25. On Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. and Dec. 29 at 8 and 10:30 a.m., St. Hubert will celebrate the Feast of the Holy family, with cantor and full choir. A vigil of solemnity will be held at 5 p.m. Dec. 31, and the Solemnity of Mary at 10 a.m. Jan. 1.

• Whidbey Evangelical Free Church in Greenbank will hold a candlelight service at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 24.

The church is at 3770 Highway 525, one mile south of Coupe’s Greenbank Store.

• Calvary Chapel of Whidbey Island celebrates Jesus, “the reason for the season,” with a candlelight service at 6 p.m. Dec. 24. The church is at 3821 French Road in Clinton.

• Unity of Whidbey will “let inner light shine” with a candlelighting service Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. The congregation meets at Bayview Hall.

• Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland invites people to hear the Christmas story with the ears of a child during its Christmas Eve service Dec. 24 with carols and story at 5 p.m.

At 8 and 10 p.m., the church will hold candlelight communion services, with carols and special organ music.

• At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Clinton, a candlelight Christmas Eve service with Holy Communion will begin at 10 p.m. Dec. 24. All are welcome. The church is at 6309 S. Wilson Place; call 341-4715.

• The Christian Life Center of Whidbey Island will send a message of love, hope and forgiveness to the community during the Christmas season. Services are Sunday mornings at 10:15 in South Whidbey Intermediate School, 5380 Maxwelton Road. Nursery and children’s programs are also offered. Call 221-8814 for more information.

• St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church will mark Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, with a carol sing featuring the Sophia Singers at 5 p.m. for Sunday School children and the congregation, followed by a festive family Eucharist at 5:30 p.m. The Rite II Holy Eucharist includes a storytelling version of the Nativity and candlelight singing of “Silent Night.”

At 10:30 p.m., the St. Augustine’s choir will sing before a solemn Midnight Mass at 11 p.m. A chanted liturgy will be accompanied by the sounds of carols and anthems.

On Christmas Day at 10 a.m., the church will celebrate the Holy Eucharist Rite II with carols of the season.

A Solemn Evensong will be take place during evening Vespers at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 27 in honor of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. Guest celebrant for this observance of the Winter Patronal of the Fellowship of Saint John will be The Rev. Canon A. Alden Franklin, canon liturgist emeritus of the Diocese of San Diego. A festive potluck dinner will follow.

St. Augustine’s in-the-Woods is at 5217 Honeymoon Bay Road, Freeland, or call 331-4887.