Just to have some semblance of normalcy, he said. We didn t want or skip a year.
It was a sentiment echoed by Rob Terry and his family, visiting from Philadelphia a tradition for 13 years. It doesn t feel like Christmas without coming, he said. It makes us feel happy, gives us something to look forward to heading into the new year.
And for the kids, even with so much loss and change, their sense of wonder is still there as they wait for Santa and his team.
As for the jolly big man himself, he urged people not to lose hope and believe in themselves, and that we can always overcome.
The pandemic lockdown cast a pall over Christamas celebrations in Bethlehem - the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Similar subdued scenes were repeate.
RTHK: Pandemic dampens Christmas cheer across the world The pandemic lockdown cast a pall over Christamas celebrations in Bethlehem - the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
Similar subdued scenes were repeated across the world as the festive family gatherings and packed prayers that typically mark the holiday were scaled back or canceled altogether.
In Australia, worshippers had to book tickets online to attend socially distanced church services. The Philippines prohibited mass gatherings and barred extended families from holding traditional Christmas Eve dinners. Traditional door-to-door children s carols were canceled in Greece.
On Christmas Eve in Italy, church bells rang earlier than usual. The Italian government’s 10 p.m. curfew prompted pastors to move up services, with “Midnight” Mass starting Thursday evening in some churches as early as a couple hours after dark. Pope Francis, who has said people “must obey” civil authorities’ measures to fight the spread of
Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, West Bank Bethlehem on Thursday ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
Similar subdued scenes were repeated across the world as the festive family gatherings and packed prayers that typically mark the holiday were scaled back or canceled altogether.
In Australia, worshippers had to book tickets online to attend socially distanced church services. The Philippines prohibited mass gatherings and barred extended families from holding traditional Christmas Eve dinners. Traditional door-to-door children’s carols were canceled in Greece.