Twice-a-year christians may get a reprieve from having to go to church services this holiday as a number of congregations around the country are canceling their holiday services due to the explosive spread of the omicron variant of coronavirus, the Associated Press reports.

The National Cathedral in Washington; St. John the Divine, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York; and the historic Old South Church in Boston have all canceled or significantly scaled back in-person services and events.

“Unfortunately, as the omicron variant takes hold across the world, our city seems to be leading the nation in infections,” the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, the dean of the National Cathedral said. “Given the spike in infections, I simply cannot justify gathering massive crowds as the public health situation worsens around us.”

With Christmas being one of the two most attended church service weekends–the other being Easter–churches are making decisions based on the size of their facilities and the number of people who are expected to attend, as well as the congregations’ likelihood of bringing unvaccinated or infected people into the nave.

“The Christmas Eve congregation tends to be larger with a lot of visitors, some of whom have come from parties, and many of whom are not used to Boston’s mask mandate,” The Rev. Nancy Taylor, senior minister of Old South, explained in her announcement.  “While we cherish these guests under normal circumstances, these are not normal circumstances. We are prioritizing the health and safety of our volunteers and staff.  We know how disappointing this is.”