Where I’m from, when we lose a loved one and are in mourning, we don’t decorate for Christmas. We don’t put up a tree, and we don’t play any music. On Christmas Eve, when everybody in the neighborhood goes from door to door in celebration, we skip the jolliness and singing in that house, and instead, we pray for the soul that passed over.
The world has a lot to grieve.
Christmas: Light and Darkness
This holiday season will be different. An empty spot on the couch is going to be an irreplaceable void. And no matter how much we prepared for it and knew it was coming, it still doesn’t feel real.
But even before that, in the apprehension of it, I knew that coming to the end of this year wouldn’t feel normal. There’s a build-up grief dragging behind. And that’s on all of our shoulders.
I hope the shine of the decorated windows doesn’t blind our eyes to Palestine.
With the (sounding like goodbye) messages coming from the Palestinian journalists, witnessing the circle narrowing, and the ever-present danger getting closer, I can’t stop thinking about it. One day closer to holidays for us is another day alive amidst the terror for them.
Motaz Azaiza (translation by Plestia Alaqad)The phase of risking your life to show what’s happening is over now and the phase of trying to survive has started.
I showed enough and God knows that it was all for Him and for my country.
We’re living right now under internal siege.
We can’t go to the south or the north.
The Israeli tanks are surrounding the middle area from the south and north!
Our situation is tragic far further than you can imagine.
Remember that we are not content to be shared, we are a nation that is getting killed and we are trying not to be ethnically cleansed.
How alone we are!
There was yet another complete blackout in Gaza. Once again, they were left in the dark.
Remember when I told you how the Gaza Strip is the size of a small island in my country? Now, break that space into five parts. One fifth of it! That is where IOF and the Israeli government are trying to push over a million Palestinians.
I watched Motaz‘s stories just now, and I have no words.
I also saw a video of Ahed Tamimi after the Israelis released her from prison. That image devastated me. It was such a loud contrast to the state of the hostages released by Hamas. I’m glad they’re okay (it goes without saying), but can’t that difference also be an indicator of what’s going on here?
No Lights in Bethlehem
It feels strange to celebrate Christmas when His Homeland is in that state. The serenity of the Holy Mother holding her baby and the despair of another Palestinian mother holding hers are the images that are side to side in my mind at the moment. The world’s decorations, an abundance of color and joyfulness feel hypocritical.
I hope the jingle bells aren’t that resonant of a sound to outvoice the cries of the Palestinians. It feels very dissociative to go into a holiday frenzy when this is the state of our world.
This Is All I’m Asking For…
I’m not trying to dull the sparkle of the holiday spirit. My only wish is that we don’t lose sight of what it means to be ready to welcome Christmas.
May kindness, compassion, care, and love encompass us all. That is my wish for us all.
If I could steal just a little bit more of your time, I’d ask you to watch this video.
If you’ve reached this part, thank you for stopping by! It means the world!
Okay, thanks, bye!
My Little Hawk 
💔🙏
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