Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, Israel

Yesterday (Saturday) was our Sabbath and we had a special Christmas program at church at the Jerusalem Center. Directly afterwards, we changed into our warmest clothes and prepared to spend Christmas eve in the place where the first Christmas began. We boarded a shuttle bus that would drive us to the "West Bank" of Israel where the city of Bethlehem is located. We will never again have the opportunity to spend Christmas in the Holy Land. The site we envision when we sing the Christmas carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is entirely different than how it is today. You might be surprised to learn that a very high cement barrier wall surrounds it and Christmas Eve is the only day of the year that everyone is allowed to enter the city.

Even though Bethlehem in only about 5 miles from Jerusalem, getting there can be hectic and take some time. Why? A very high separation wall was built by the Israeli government as a way to stop the violence inside Israel. Between 2000 to the completion of the first segment in 2003, 73 suicide bombings were carried out from the West Bank but from August, 2003 to the end of 2006, only 12 attacks occurred. However, it has since been associated with uprisings between the Jews and the Palestinians and has made life difficult for those who live in the West Bank. The wall is as high as 30' in some places and 500 miles long and was supposed to be only "temporary" when it was constructed more than 10 years ago.

Just two days ago, December 23, Palestinians dressed as Santa and marched in opposition of the separation wall. I took these photos from the web and include a quote: "Roughly 100 people marched on a checkpoint in Bethlehem to protest the occupation and mark Christmas. Israeli forces responded by pepper-spraying and teargassing the demonstrators."

Had we known this before we left, we might have thought twice about crossing the checkpoint at Bethlehem. We are always careful to check with the JC security so we will know places are safe to visit. We also stay away from places that have groups of soldiers because that is where opposition usually occurs.

The shuttle dropped us off before the checkpoint and from there we walked a good 45 minutes to Manger Square. However, we had to pass through a security check point and through barriers and long walkways. We were required to take our passports with us or we would not be allowed to enter the West Bank area.

We walked quite a distance until we could see the city ahead. As with all areas under Palestinian Authority control, Israeli law forbids Israeli citizens to enter unless they receive approval from the Israeli Civil Administration. The wall severely restricts the travel of many Palestinians and impairs their ability to commute to work within the West Bank or to Israel. Some farmers have part of their land separated by the wall making it difficult for them to maintain their crops.

It was a brisk, cold day and I was really glad I had on my heavy winter coat and good walking shoes. The sky was overcast and it felt like it might rain.

We passed by some meat shops and spotted some large turkeys hanging in the window. My thoughts raced immediately to our family and the holiday dinners we would be missing with them this year.

We've never seen this sign before and watched as people gathered for photos.

Can you tell we are cold?

As we got closer to the city, we could see crowds of people and could hear the sound of drums in the distance and before we knew it, they were right next to us. Tens of thousands of people visit Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Nazareth over the holidays.

Bethlehem, which means "House of Bread," has a Muslim majority in population but is nevertheless home to a Palestinian Christian community. The population is about 60,000 people. I asked, "What percentage of the crowd are Christian?" I was told that 99% of the people who were in Bethlehem for Christmas Eve were Muslims or Jews and they come out because Christmas Eve is one day of the year when their families can go for a "celebration" together.

To get out of the crowd, we decided to go up a side street but as it turned out we found even bigger crowds.

We looked overhead and saw hanging stars that would be lit when it got dark.

The parade started at 10 AM and was still going strong when we arrived around 1:30 PM. We stood tightly up against the wall so the musicians in the parade could get by us.

In the crowd, we spotted Reg and Carol who went early so they could attend the parade.

Before we knew it, we were in the middle of a very dense crowd of people and couldn't budge an inch. One of our professor's wives said, "It was a very touchy situation!" I had to smile because I've never been pressed so hard against so many people in my life. We looked down and saw a young boy looking up helplessly because he couldn't move. It could have become dangerous because some people were pushing against the crowd and trying to get though. If I had fallen down, there would have been no way I would be able to get up. After about 20 minutes, finally soldiers opened a gate to let us move into the street.

I was standing right by the barricade when the Patriarch of the Catholic church passed by. (He conducted Midnight Mass in St. Anne's Church Christmas Eve.)

This was the scene as we looked around at Manger Square.

Television stations were covering the news from Manger Square. We followed the crowds and finally arrived at Manger Square where a huge Christmas tree had been erected.

Despite the mobs, we were determined to inch our way to the Church of the Nativity because it is the town's most famous sight.

You enter the Church of the Nativity through a very small door. Through the centuries, the doorway was reduced in order to prevent the Mamluks from riding into the church on horseback. It is now only 4' high so that visitors must bend down upon entering and bow to the East. This is also called the "Entry of Humility."

Stairs leading down to the Grotto of the Nativity, the actual place where Jesus is said to have been born. It is marked by a silver star and this tiny grotto is a place of deep religious significance and the major highlight Christians who visit here.

There were so many people at the star that we couldn't get close, but I held my camera up above the people and luckily captured this photo. The silver star marks the traditional site on which Jesus was born in the Grotto of the Nativity.

Directly above the manger area were hanging lamps for incense. In 326, Constantine and his mother St. Helena commissioned a church to be built over the nativity cave. This first church, dedicated 339 AD, had an octagonal floor plan and was placed directly above the cave. A very long history follows but in 1852, shared custody of the church was granted to the Roman Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches. The Greeks care for the Grotto of the Nativity.

We worked our way through the crowds to the church where Catholic mass was being held in St. Catherine's Church. For all my Catholic friends, please know I thought of you as we stood in observation of mass. I always love visiting churches of all religions because they are built to honor God and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to visit them.

The stained glass window was beautiful!

We left the church and headed back to the check point. We had only one hour to walk back and we didn't want to miss our ride.

I've never seen a green Santa!

On the main street of Bethlehem, there are a number of very large mosaics along the road. Josh wanted a photo with us so his father took this. His parents came to pick him up when the students left the 14th of December and are staying until the 27th of December. For the past couple of week's they've traveled all over Israel with him as their guide. He is one young man I'd love to put in a time capsule and save for one of my granddaughters to date. His hugs are great and he always has a smile on his face. He's a senior at BYU and his next goal is to complete the "Iron Man" Triathlon.

The Jensens.

We started our long walk back to the checkpoint. The rock wall and barbed wire reminded us of what was ahead . . . the barrier wall.

We are continually surprised how people park here. There is no rhyme or reason!

The barrier or separation wall is so unsightly! Graffiti is everywhere along with signs of opposition and offensive words. I can't imagine having to live with this wall around my city.

We walked back through the checkpoint and sighed relief . . . what a pain for anyone going to Bethlehem.

We spent the morning of Christmas Day at the YMCA carillon. Families who were visiting were excited to play and share in that experience. The lobby of the YMCA is beautifully decorated so once again, we stopped for a few photos.

Josh came with his parents and we feel like we are old friends now.

Doug and Janna Coombs have two sons and their families visiting for the holidays.

Playing the bells is always a fun experience for people of all ages.

Dr. Huff brought 9 members of his family to the carillon. It was fun to play "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and other Christmas carols.

Dr. Judd's daughters, Lisa and Amanda.

With a little help, even little people enjoy playing the carillon.

Josh and his father.

After we played the bells, we went up three more flights into the bell tower and took photos in the stairwell.

Dr. Esplin and his family.

Garth and Tommy Esplin. He is the happiest little 3 year old!

Dr. Coombs and family are from Fort Collins, Colorado. He is an orthodontist.

Dr. Coombs and his family are from Kimberly, Idaho. He is an opthamologist.

Today has been a wonderful day! We wish each of you MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR. We hope your Christmas will sparkle with moments of love, laughter and goodwill. May 2017 be a year full of contentment, joy and great success!