“Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.”
~Dr. Suess
Christmas, at my house, is something out of Dr. Suess’ Whoville. The staircase is wrapped in garland. Our Holiday Village sprawls across the top of the entertainment center. We have a train built from snow globes and a Rudolph that sings. Even my Dad’s bonsai tree is strung up with colored lights and tiny plastic penguins. Under all these decorations, however, is my mother’s steadfast commitment to giving, helping, and loving others during the holiday season. She is always the first to pick tags from the church giving tree.
As holiday music fills the dining hall, I am watching the crisis in Aleppo unfold beside Facebook posts about finals week and Christmas trees. I am starting to believe the true meaning of the holiday season has gotten lost in our vast commercialization. I know that I too am guilty. It is easier to buy an ugly Christmas sweater than to solve a humanitarian crisis, however, that does not mean individuals do not have an impact.
According to the LA Times, since the war began almost 400,000 people have been killed; 4.8 million more have left the country and 6.6 million have been “internally displaced.” BBC World News reports the final good-byes of people trapped in rebel held east Aleppo, where the bombings persist. The posts are harrowing as people plead for the world to acknowledge their crisis. As they grow more and more desperate for someone to hear their struggles and pain, BBC reports that one person even said, “I hope I could broadcast our live death to you.” BBC also reports that Bana Alabed, a seven year old girl, tweeted “This is my last moment to either live or die.”
The war crimes and humanitarian injustices continue to mount in Syria. The cease fire plan reported by BBC on December 13th, fell through on the 14th. Time Magazine reports that Monther Ataki, an opposition activist in Aleppo, believes, “The massacres will start again and all the people in the city will get killed.” Since the civil war started four years ago, Hibaaq Osman, of The Independent, reports that Syrians have been subjected to rape and kidnappings as they try to flee their homes. Unicef reports that “2.6 million children are no longer in school and more than 2.5 million are living as refugees in neighboring countries or on the run in search of safety.”
The people who are currently suffering in Aleppo, need our attention now more than ever. After disasters, such as the Paris attacks, I have been impressed with both the country’s and the world’s ability to organize help for those in need. There is no Facebook profile filter for Aleppo, however. I have not seen a call to defend the rights of the innocent people being slaughtered. At the end of the Grinch, the Whos come together in song. They show that Christmas is about something deeper than presents and decorations. They accept an “other” into their community with love and compassion. As we enter the holiday season, remember the people of Aleppo. When you’re doing your holiday shopping send them a gift with a donation to Unicef’s Syrian Refugees fund. The Unicef website reports that they are “ready to assist further evacuations, implores all parties to the conflict to allow immediate access to children in the city.” You can donate using this link: https://www.unicefusa.org/mission/emergencies/chil...
