What are you doing at Christmas?

You may remember Najah and Arwa, who spoke at our AGM about their participation in Doulas without Borders.

This year we asked them what they are doing at Christmas and received these lovely replies, showing how they combine their cultural traditions and take on new ones:

Arwa
My name is Arwa, I am from Syria. I am a member of the Herts Welcomes Refugees Advisory Group.
During the Christmas holiday I don’t have any special celebrations. But I plan to spend time with my family, specially they are on long holiday.
So, we are planning to go to London to watch and enjoy the Christmas lights than we would like to have a family dinner at the restaurant.
My daughter, who is studying a Masters in architecture, has university homework to take pictures of some distinctive buildings in London or another city,
so we might visit Oxford city to take some photos of unique buildings and that will be a good opportunity to see the city.
Happy Christmas and New Year! I wish to have a happy celebration 🎉

Najah
Although we’re Syrian Muslims and don’t actively celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense, we do love partaking and appreciating the Christmas spirit!
We love visiting Oxford Street and seeing the Christmas decorations! We also send Christmas cards to family friends who celebrate Christmas. Big gatherings take place with friends and family, we have a nice dinner together and enjoy each other’s company. So all in all we wouldn’t call these regular days, and we really do appreciate the values of togetherness and charity in Christmas!

How will you celebrate the festive season? We know it is a tough time for many people but wish all our friends and supporters a happy time and all the best for 2025.  The painting below is from a talented young asylum seeker at one of our art sessions.