For Christians, it's the second-holiest day of the year. But with presents to be opened and a turkey to be cooked, will this year's Christmas morning, which falls on a Sunday, include a regular Sunday trip to church?

"Going to church won't crowd out Christmas, but it will affect the schedule," said Adam Scholl, of Hampton. He said his family would get started a little earlier this year to allow his wife to attend the 11 a.m. service at St. Catherine's of Sweden in Hampton while he stays home assembling toys with his children.

The Rev. E. Stanley Ott, pastor of Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church, said that, in 1994, the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday, that day's service drew 171 people. A regular Sunday draws about 600 and the 1994 Christmas Eve services drew 1,350.

This year, Mr. Ott's church is holding one Sunday service instead of the usual two.

A few megachurches around the country have taken it one step further by eliminating Sunday services altogether on Christmas Day, asking their members to come Christmas Eve instead.

Orchard Hill Church in Franklin Park, which draws about 2,300 people on a typical Sunday, is following that trend. It is offering eight services in the week before Christmas, including four on Christmas Eve, but will be closed on Christmas Day.

"What we're encouraging people to do is to worship through the Christmas holiday by spending time with their family or embracing something in the community," said the Rev. Kurt Bjorklund, a senior pastor at the church.

He said that the decision not to hold services on the Sunday of Christmas was driven primarily by concerns about the demands on the 150 staff and volunteers who are necessary for Orchard Hill's services.

"We felt this was the most respectful for the most people," Mr. Bjorklund said. "It would be different if we didn't feel like we had so many good options leading up to it."

But not holding services on any Sunday, particularly on Christmas, is not what some consider a good option.

"Some decisions can send messages that you don't really intend," said the Rev. Rock Dillaman, pastor of the Allegheny Center Alliance Church on the North Side. "Canceling tends to reinforce some misplaced priorities. I was brought up in a home atmosphere where, if you've got to cancel something, church was the last thing you canceled."

In Mr. Dillaman's house this year, Christmas gifts have taken a back seat to church. His family members, including the granddaughter he "intends to spoil," will exchange gifts Saturday to free up time for him to lead services Sunday.

Mr. Dillaman's church, though, is not holding its regular 8:30 a.m. service on Christmas.

Mr. Ott, of Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian, agrees there's something special about a Sunday service, but feels that any controversy over the lack of services on Christmas draws attention from the real goal of once-a-week worship.

"It's been a tradition to worship Sunday for ages because it is a mini-Easter, but the decision is really just a matter of when is the best time for people to come," he said. "The most important thing is just developing worship once a week. If a congregation makes that possible, they're doing what they should be doing."

Those who do show up for church on Christmas will experience something a little different from their regular Sunday services.

"I actually think it's kind of extra special that you can worship on Christmas," said James Bibza, pastor of the Center Presbyterian Church in New Castle and a professor of religion at Grove City College.

Parents might have to make an extra-special effort to get their children to leave their toys at home.

Christine Austin, who plans to attend the noon services at the Macedonia Baptist Church in the Hill District on Christmas Sunday, thinks there might be some "baby dolls and Game Boys" stashed under the pews during services.

But she does see one upside: "We'll be up at 5 in the morning," she said. "So we'll be on time for church."