It was a day like every day: cold, dreary and hopeless. But all they wanted for Christmas was a Christmas tree.
The biting cold and bitter hunger did not stop a group of Syrian refugee children from wandering about near their camp site in Lebanon’s Bekka Valley to look for what they declared was “the magical tree.”
One of the children was Christian, and the rest were Muslim, so he was their guide.
They didn’t find an exact match, but found a tree nonetheless that was small with bushy branches strong enough to decorate.
Using orange peel, empty soda cans and cut-out potato chips bags, they turned the humble tree into a colourful kaleidoscopic record of what they last had for dinner.
There were no gifts under this Christmas tree, but that didn’t dampen their mood as they danced around it and made a wish.
“It is the same wish they make at every special occasion, they want to go home,” said my friend, who works with refugees in Lebanon.
She told me this story about the search for the Christmas tree as just “one of those things” that children did.
Though humanitarian officials note that most adult Syrian refugees have stopped hoping for better days, the children keep on wishing and hoping. They are the last ray of light and love in the continuing gloomy and deadly story of war. Yet it is they who suffer the most in a crisis.
More than 7.3 million Syrian children have been affected by the conflict. That includes 1.7 million child refugees.
No wonder that Unicef declared 2014 as one of the very worst years for children.
As many as 15 million children are caught up in violent conflict in the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, Palestine, Syria and Ukraine, including those who are internally displaced or living as refugees. They are even being targeted while at school, as we saw last week in Pakistan, where 132 children were gunned down by terrorists.
With Christmas being celebrated today, why not do something a little bit different this time? Why not give a few moments to someone in need?
If it is difficult to help a refugee family directly, or donate to the various agencies working on the ground, then look to see who is in need in your neighbourhood. It could be something as small as a slice of cake accompanied by a smile. Or look in your own household, and surprise a maid or driver with a gift. These small acts of kindness go a long way.
As for me, I will be spending Christmas day with my parents, and a few hours with my father at the hospital as he undergoes kidney dialysis. There are so many families with a loved one reliant on the procedure. It drains the soul and can trigger depression as dialysis lasts four to six hours a day, three to four times a week.
Often there are several young patients at the hospital and I will take in some balloons and toys for them. Children and adults, we will play games like charades – I will be acting out and the patients will guess. I will probably end up getting kicked out, but at least I will have given them some little pleasure.
Unlike so many across the world, we can be thankful for having a roof over our heads, for something as basic as socks and shoes that warm our feet, and to be surrounded by loved ones.
For those who lost someone dear, every holiday and special occasion is a painful reminder of who and what they lost. Include them in your celebration so that no one feels alone on a holiday that revolves around love and giving.
rghazal@thenational.ae
On Twitter:@arabianmau
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
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- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
RESULTS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
