SUDBURY -- As the Christmas holidays approach and the pandemic continues, Sudbury resident Terry Williams has found a COVID-19 safe way to bring the Christmas spirit to his neighbourhood.

On Dec. 19 from 6:30-7:30 p.m., Laurentian University’s campus radio station will broadcast an hour's worth of Christmas carols.

For Williams and other 'Carols on the Air' organizers, the hope is people will step out on their porches and driveways to sing along to the carols together.

"I'm hoping that people will experience some fellowship through music," said Williams.

"People will be reminded of those hard-to-articulate feelings, that we all want to articulate at this time of year. There are these moments that can be beautiful and I want people to experience that with them selves and with the people around them."

Songs like Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Silent Night and Away in a Manger will air throughout the broadcast.

Williams got the idea when he did something similar using his transmitter on Halloween. Williams said his own device reached about four blocks of his neighbourhood, so this time he is hoping to have more people involved, since CKLU reaches the whole city.

"Because it’s real radio, travelling at the speed of light, what you hear on your radio is what I hear on my radio," he said.

"You will be in your driveway and you will hear your neighbour and they will hear you. They’ll also hear the neighbour that you can’t hear who’s a couple blocks in the other direction ... So while you won’t hear everybody, every body will get heard by somebody."

Williams said his neighbourhood is usually pretty tight knit and always interacting with each other. But due to Covid-19, the gatherings have been put on pause.

He and other community members said they are hopeful the event will bring back some normalcy to people’s lives.

"I think just doing something fun, something that leans more on tradition, singing and being together," said Uptown Community Action Sudbury chair Courtney St. Jean.

"I think this is the best we’re going to get this holiday season. We will be able to sing together safely at a distance. As friends, as neighbours, and maybe citywide."

The carols will be in both French and English. Lyric sheets are available for download at ‘Carols on the Air’ on Facebook.