The Archbishops of Canterbury and York joined with thousands of other bishops, clergy and laity today to promote the"real meaning" of Christmas with #ChristmasMeans on Twitter.

Dr John Sentamu, of York, was one of the first with two tweets, "God is at work amongst us. He is closer than you think. Praise Him!" and "No need to be tongue tied any more – tell it out! #ChristmasMeans There is Good News to discover."

Church House, the admin headquarters for the Church of England in London, urged congregations and clergy across 12,000 parishes to get out their smartphones and get the topic trending.

Sentamu said: "Christmas means letting the light of Christ shine out in what we do and what we say. Don't follow the path, rather be bold and set out new paths for others to follow. God's message is one of great joy and hope for the world – embrace His love".

Durham diocese said: "#ChristmasMeans being responsive to the needs of others and speaking up for them."

Lichfield diocese tweeted: "#Christmasmeans a down-to-earth God who cares about us and our lives. Can we make room for Him in ours?"

And endearingly, Hunton church near Winchester ‏@ChurchHunton tweeted: "#ChristmasMeans our noisy nutty nativity at 4 this afternoon."

CofE comms director Arun Arora said: "We are delighted that #ChristmasMeans gives us this opportunity for parishes to take the good news of the first Christmas beyond churches and into people's lives and homes."

#ChristmasMeans follows the #EasterMeans campaign earlier this year which reached 29 million people from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday.