AMMAN: As Christmas approaches in Jordan, Fairouz’s popular Christmas hymn “Laylet Eid” (Jingle bells) plays softly in shopping malls, while large, brightly decorated Christmas trees dominate hotel lobbies and public spaces in Amman.
The festive atmosphere is familiar, but for many Jordanian Christians, celebrations this year feel more restrained, shaped by economic pressures and the continued weight of regional conflict.
“This must be at least the fifth year in a row that the world feels sad and chaotic,” said Diana Haddad, a 32-year-old active member of her church community in Amman.
“After the pandemic, then the cost-of-living crisis, and now ongoing wars in the region, it hasn’t felt right to be fully joyful when so much suffering is happening around us.”
Since 2023, the war in Gaza and the broader situation in Palestine have had a particular impact on how Christmas is marked in Jordan.
