‘The real spirit of Christmas does not exist’ this year: Bethlehem’s Christians

“My kids have been crying a lot, asking why we are not celebrating like other people around the world,” she told Al Jazeera, adding that her kids can “feel the war”.

“Emotionally, we [she and her husband Charlie Zaidan] haven’t been very stable lately [due to the war in Gaza], and the kids can feel that,” Mukarker noted. “We spend our Christmas in a very festive way – playing Christmas music, visiting family … but this year, we couldn’t do that. The real spirit of Christmas does not exist.”

Bethlehem, the biblical city in the occupied West Bank where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born in a manger more than 2,000 years ago, effectively cancelled the annual Christmas celebrations that normally draw thousands of tourists.

The town did away with its giant Christmas tree, marching bands and flamboyant nativity scene this year, settling for just a few festive lights.

Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim talks to a Christian family in Bethlehem.