THE Church of England has released a series of short video adverts inviting people to take a break from “hectic” Christmas preparations and find “calm” in their local church and the Christmas story.

The eight videos, filmed using timelapse, show still individuals at the centre of fast-moving, busy Christmas scenes, such as wrapping presents, cooking, shopping, playing games, looking after family, and preparing for the big day.

A voiceover on the first video says that, while Christmas can be “a time of joy”, this can easily become lost in all the excitement. Variations of this voiceover on each video describe Christmas as “a wonderful time of year”, “comforting”, and “exciting” — but also “exhausting”, “hectic”, “lonely”, and “overwhelming”.

All the videos end with the individual being welcomed into a church, and the voiceover urging viewers to “Find calm this Christmas at a church near you.” This also refers to achurchnearyou.com, through which people can find their local church. Behind this is a choir singing “all is calm, all is bright” from “Silent Night”.

Most of the videos last around 20 seconds. A slightly longer version includes different voices expressing worries about the season, such as: “I need calm”, “I am going to be late”, “I’m not going to meet my deadline”, and “Why can’t everybody calm down a bit?”

The videos are part of the Church’s annual Christmas campaign “Follow the star,” which this year takes the theme “Calm and bright”. Previous years have taken themes of music (“Join the song”) and welcome (“the great invitation”).

The Bishop of Stockport, the Rt Revd Sam Corley, said: “In the busyness of Christmas preparations, it’s easy to lose sight of the peace and hope at the heart of the season. This year’s campaign is a timely reminder that the story of Christmas invites us into something deeper. . .

“Churches across the country are opening their doors to welcome everyone to experience that peace and discover that hope this Christmas.”