On this day before Christmas eve, the town of Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace Jesus, is again very different this year.
According to reporters who are there, Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem have been canceled again this year due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
The thousands of tourists who would normally would fill Manger Square are not there.
The famous Christmas tree, usually in the middle of the square, is not there. And there are no carols or Christmas market stands.
The third-generation owner of the Nativity Store, that’s been there for 98 years, says. "We are not feeling Christmas."
Over the years the annual Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem have been major boons for the city, with tourism accounting for about 70 percent of its annual income. But the streets this year are described as being pretty empty again this season.
Unemployment in Bethlehem is said to be around 50 percent with local artists and crafters without work.
As one news report put it, “Many Palestinians, many of them who are Christians, are too distressed by the war in Gaza to hold Christmas celebrations.”
So instead of a festive feeling in Bethlehem this year there is a feeling of sadness.
But there are lots of prayers being said there and lots of hope that the good news of Christmas will help overcome the evil that has changed things in Bethlehem.
(Photo Getty Images)