The municipality of Illma al-Shaab lit the Christmas tree in the town square next to Our Lady Church, in the presence of a number of residents, the deputy mayor Waleem Haddad representing the mayor, parish priest Father Maroun Ghafri, and the head of the "Illma Fardi" Foundation, Milad Eid. Prior to the lighting of the decorations, a mass was held for peace, after which attendees proceeded to the town square to light the tree and Christmas decorations, with the participation of the Minister of Information in the caretaker government, Ziad Makari, who praised "the courage of the residents and their steadfastness to their land."
Father Ghafri stated: "We light the Christmas decorations to express peace, and we are messengers to build a civilization of love and peace on this land, as we are steadfast in our land because it embraces the blood and remains of our fathers and ancestors." For his part, Haddad said: "We wanted to light the Christmas tree and decorations to affirm that we are attached to our land and will not leave it, no matter the sacrifices. The lighting of the decorations is a message of love and peace, to say that Illma al-Shaab is a steadfast town, and this indicates our commitment to life and to the birth of the Savior Jesus, the Redeemer of humanity. We hope that God will bring this holiday back to us and to our country, Lebanon, with peace, calm, and stability."
The Minister of Information thanked "for participating in the occasion and for his call to check on our people in Illma al-Shaab and for sharing the joy of our people in lighting the Christmas tree and decorations in these difficult circumstances."
