Even as Christmas traditions are forced to change, the message of hope comes through Martha Quillin, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) Dec. 23—Christmas is an expectant, hopeful season for those who celebrate the birth of Christ and the spiritual renewal his coming represents. The challenge for Christian churches this year is how to commemorate the holiday arriving at the height of a pandemic, when expectations of all kinds have been shattered and hope seems more scarce than COVID vaccines. In North Carolina, churches are exempt from the governor's order limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people. Many congregations will hold socially-distanced services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Others will worship online-only, with a live or pre-recorded message and music. Some have planned Christmas drive-through worship events that give congregants a way to see others in their church families without taking a chance on catching — or transmitting — the virus.