DAMASCUS: Twinkling trees, festive markets, and decorations hanging from shop doors and balconies mark the Christmas season this year in Syria’s Christian neighborhoods — though celebrations remain more modest than before the war. “The atmosphere is better than last year,” said Sahar Safar, a member of the Sisterhood of Our Lady of Damascus Church, recalling the air of uncertainty after the swift and sudden fall of the Assad regime’s 55-year strangle of the country on Dec. 8, 2024.

DWEIL’A: At a church in Syria where a suicide attack killed 25 people in June, hundreds of worshippers gathered before Christmas to remember those they lost and reaffirm their…

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…

DAMASCUS: Twinkling trees, festive markets, and decorations hanging from shop doors and balconies mark the Christmas season this year in Syria’s Christian neighborhoods — though…