Christmas in Bethlehem

June 2014. My team of five arrived in Beit Sahour. We met our homestay family, Orthodox Christian Palestinians who lived just outside of Bethlehem. Our days were spent volunteering at a local organization that offered respite for families with special needs children. Our evenings and weekends were ours to explore and learn. There was so much to see – both “famous” and common. We posed with Banksy art, walked the Wall and viewed the graffiti, visited the shop that is walled in on three sides, toured the Chapel of the Shepherd’s Fields, and more.

Bethlehem is a place of paradox. Christmas is celebrated at three different times of the year there, due to the presence of various religious groups. There are numerous locations for tourists to visit that claim to be the site where Jesus was born, or the site of the shepherd’s fields. The Wall is ever present, offering a never-ending canvas for opinions, art and pleas. For being known as a place of calm and bright, Bethlehem seems ominous and tense.

As in so many cases, it is people that bring beauty. Our daily wanderings led us past shops and along quiet streets. One encounter that stands out to me is being welcomed into the shop of Hisham. He sold fabric and clothing. The colours were vibrant, the patterns expressive and detailed. He set out chairs and began to make us tea – over a propane burner he placed a small pot, ladeled in sugar, and added a fistful of crushed mint. The smell of the herb filled the small space, and the sweetness added to the thankfulness we felt for his welcome and friendship.

All it takes is one person to create warmth and belonging. Hisham was that for us. I imagine the innkeeper was that for Mary and Joseph, and by extension Jesus. Where can you bring beauty this season?