Shadow over Christmas

As the world prepares to celebrate Christmas, many people picture scenes painted by popular imagination; scenes filled with snow and white flakes gently dropping from the sky, streets lined with lights, decorated trees standing proudly in warm homes, and soft music floating through the cold evening air. For many regions, this picture is not completely accurate, because large parts of the world do not experience that kind of winter. In Jerusalem, in Australia, and across much of India, Christmas arrives without snow or freezing winds. Yet the image remains strongest in the Western world, where winter settles in with deep cold and heavy snow, shaping the seasonal mood and the idea of Christmas. This year, while people in these colder regions of the world wait for the warmth of celebration; a shadow hangs heavy over the season, a shadow cast by the war in Ukraine. Since 2022, the conflict has continued without a real path to peace. In February 2022 Russia began the invasion of Ukraine which it considered its former sphere of control, but something that belonged to another time during the USSR. Ukraine became an independent nation decades ago, and today Russia has no rightful authority over that land or its people. Yet Putin hasn’t accepted the historical change. As the war stretches on, President Putin shows no genuine sign of stepping back. He may speak about peace, but only on his own terms. His idea of a ceasefire demands that everything must go his way, which in practical terms means Ukraine must surrender completely. Such a condition is unreasonable and cannot be accepted by a nation defending its freedom and dignity. Ukraine continues to resist, refusing to surrender its land and its people. That resistance has blocked Russia from achieving quick victory, and as the battle for territory and manpower reaches a standstill, the strategy has shifted into something darker. Unable to win on the ground, Russia has turned to destroying Ukraine’s power infrastructure, targeting the systems that keep homes warm and cities alive. The goal now appears to be gifting the Ukrainians a Christmas without light, a season defined not by joy but by suffering. If power facilities continue to fall, Ukraine will face a winter that is bitter, cold, and dark. Families may be forced to sit in freezing homes, unable to keep warm, unable to switch on a light, unable to celebrate the season that the world calls a time of peace and hope. While many sing songs about the birth of the Prince of Peace, people in Ukraine will struggle through icy nights, fighting to survive under the weight of a conflict driven by the ambition of one leader. The world has a moral obligation to not forget Ukraine or any place where war crushes innocent lives. There must be a united call for peace, a call to prevent leaders driven by pride, ego, or hunger for power from deciding the fate of millions. It may sound like a distant dream, but dreams often begin as wishes. Perhaps this Christmas, the wish for peace can be stronger than the sound of war. The wish for peace must be translated into action so that real peace will return to the world stage. That would be the most meaningful gift of all.