Christmas Eve day was spent in Bethlehem, which is in Palestine. We took a bus, which wasn't that long of a drive. There were some signs that warned you of the danger, but I honestly did not feel unsafe. And to be honest, everyone was so nice and it was such an eye-opener experience. I think media plays a huge role in how we perceive the world until you see and experience for yourself. So glad we went to Bethlehem, just for that.
After getting dropped off, we headed towards the old part of the city. As we were winding through the narrow streets, we started to hear drumming. When we reach the top of the city, we looked down and saw lots of people and a large parade. There were various marching bands playing Christmas music. I've never been so moved, so proud, I started to cry. To be in Bethlehem, to feel the business of the place, and to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It was all so moving! And the business of the place puts you into how Mary and Joseph must have felt. Surprisingly, we couldn't find a place to stay, no rooms available.
We didn't get to go into the grotto, where Jesus was born, because there were so many people. We walked around, ate lunch, and looked into shops. There was this shop where they carved nativities out of olive wood. We took a look in, all so expensive, so we didn't buy anything. But one of the owners caught the eye of Emre and they became little buddies. He gave Emre a little gift, a wooden heart. Emre returned the favor and gave him a gummy candy heart. He also offered to let us onto the roof, to enjoy the views of Palestine. That little exchange between Emre and the man touched my soul. That is what the birth of Christ is all about; it's about love. Love for one another. Kindness. Looking beyond our circumstances, race, gender, religion, politics, whatever. It's all about the love we can give and receive. This Christmas taught me so much.
Alastair wanted to see the wall, so we took a taxi and drove down to it. We saw some of Banksy's works and we also met one of the artists. He wanted to take a picture with Emre and he gifted him some stickers. People always amaze me with their kindness! We also went into a church where apparently Mary fed baby Jesus and a bit of milk was spilled. If you want to increase fertility and milk supply, you're supposed to touch the rocks there. So, we'll see if it has any powers, I'll let you know.
We finished the night by grabbing some cookies and carrots because we wanted to do some kind of traditional thing to make it special. We started to set the carrots up and then we opened the cookies.... and they were all smashed! We go back and forth about Santa but I think we'll just go with keeping that tradition. And we still celebrate Jesus, obviously. I mean, I sing Silent Night pretty much every night to Emre since he was a baby. It's been fun to be here and to share the stories of Jesus and other stories in the Bible. Like, we're here, where he walked. It doesn't get any better for Christmas!
