This is my first Christmas in the UK for many a moon. Usually in Israel, the day passes just as any other day, and it never feels Christmassy unless you live in perhaps Haifa or Jerusalem, which have large Christian communities.
I’m not sure anywhere that has a warm climate can feel Christmassy. The BBQ’s in Australia and New Zealand do not lend themselves to the traditional festive feel. You need snow really, because somehow its just not right without Rudolph and he wouldn’t do well in the desert.
This year with a dreadful war raging no day is an ordinary day: News of the fallen and the latest developments are understandably a minute by minute obsession and the situation in both Israel and Gaza is dire and the end is not yet in sight.
The city of Bethlehem has announced that Christmas is cancelled and we hear they laid the baby Jesus in a pile of rubble to represent how the whole area has descended into chaos. Bethlehem has not been as one would imagine from the Christmas cards and the Biblical stories for a very long time.
In the 1950’s the population of Bethlehem was around 85% Christian but it is now an Arab town with very few Christians and Manger Square is far from a holy place, but a tourist attraction that is opened and closed according to the political atmosphere. It is not the first time they have cancelled Christmas in the what should be the most Christian place in the world.
And even though Jesus was a Jew, Israelis cannot travel to Bethlehem and I do believe it is deemed occupied despite it being wholly run by the PA! What a strange situation has evolved.
But here in London the Christmas lights are shining bright and the shops are thronging with people searching out last minute gifts. This year I am supporting Christmas in my heart much more than usual, especially when I read about those who wish to cancel it in the UK.
We have just passed Chanukah, the festival of lights and moved straight into the Christmas lights and for me any light in the terrible time of darkness is very welcome.
My little granddaughter goes to a very multi cultural nursery and they still had the the Menorah next to the Chanukah Bush (according to her) as they wished each other Happy Xmas on the last day of term. She is still walking around singing Happy Chanukah , spin spin spin. She had her latkes under the tree and she really doesn’t mind what is going on as long as the presents and doughnuts keep coming and I’m starting to feel the same.
It is comforting to step into the innocence of the young, a time where they accept all differences of creed and colour and each others traditions, and only fall out if someone takes their toy.She’s happily biting the Jewish kids and the Asian kids alike if they dare to swipe a toy from her.
But multiculturalism can only work if there is no hatred for the other. Another first this year has been to venture onto Twitter or X as it is now called. There you really see the hatred especially if you feel brave enough to defend Israel’s actions at this time. I just had to write a post and now I am a genocidal colonialist according to my fellow tweeters. It’s ok, I’m used to it, as I’ve been a racist extremist for many years according to some of my friends and family for predicting an October 7th ! Now they have had the biggest wake up call in their lives, falling out with their friends and colleagues. I’m even hearing of divorces as some people still refuse to open their eyes.
LBC was interesting, as the listeners who phoned in had no understanding of the reality of the situation in Israel, and why should we expect them to. We who live it, have enough difficulties understanding how the perpetrators of repeated acts of heinous terror continue to successfully paint themselves as the victims.
Bethlehem is only one example of a society that has thrown all previously accepted norms on their head and demands the world is viewed through their distorted lens, under which Christmas is just another threatened tradition.
We who live in Israel, have no doubt where the entrance to the road to peace lies. There is no discussion: Israelis are totally united that there is no future until Hamas, are destroyed and that is a long painful job that Israel is mostly fighting alone.
Many of those who phone into radio stations and march in the streets know little of the reality on the ground and what they think they know is mostly incorrect. Those who scream and shout “From the River to Sea”, don’t even know which river or sea they are referring to and Queers for Palestine are just Turkeys for Christmas.
So in the few days of festivities when the western world practices “on earth peace, good will toward men“, I am going to absorb all the light that is available and pray for the hostages, the brave IDF, the innocent children of Gaza and for the spirit of Christmas and its message of peace to descend upon all is us.
Kind Regards
Carolyne Davis