by Mira, age 9 from Nazareth, Israel, asks Santa about Christmas wrapping paper, nearby Bethlehem, and Israel’s Christian community.
Dear Santa, my name is Mira, and I am nine years old. I live in Nazareth, Israel, where my teta says our town is the same place where Jesus grew up a very long time ago.
Dear Mira, growing up in that particular town is about as meaningful an address as anywhere on my whole route, and I always fly a little more carefully over it.
Santa, I have three questions.
Do you like Christmas wrapping paper? My amto always picks paper with little stars and camels on it.
I love it, Mira, stars and camels sound like exactly the right choice for wrapping paper from your part of the world. A good wrapping paper tells its own little story before the gift is even opened.
My teacher says Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, is not too far from where I live. Is that true?
It is true, Mira, Bethlehem sits not too far south of Nazareth, and its Church of the Nativity has welcomed visitors from all over the world for centuries. I always make sure that stop is one of the most carefully planned on my whole Christmas Eve route.
My teta says most people in Israel celebrate Hanukkah instead of Christmas, but our Christian community still celebrates here too. Is that true?
It is true, Mira, most Israelis celebrate Hanukkah, while a smaller Christian community, including many families in Nazareth, keeps Christmas traditions alive with real pride. Different holidays lighting up the same season, side by side, is a beautiful thing to witness on my way through.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Mira Khoury
Nazareth, Israel
P.S. Can my wrapping paper have little stars over Bethlehem on it?
I will ask the elves to design just that, Mira, it sounds like the perfect pattern.
