A man dressed as Santa Claus entertains children at Beirut Souks. Reuters

Jabeen Adil, Gulf Today

Lebanon is facing increasing hardship these days. And there seems to be no letup. Many people have no food, the  currency is plummeting, basic services have been hit. And the coronavirus has only made things worse.

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Amid all these, the worst thing that could have happened in recent times was the huge blast at Beirut Port in August that killed hundreds and left thousands homeless.

 A Christmas tree with names of those who died during Beirut port explosion is seen near the damaged grain silo. Reuters

In a bid to lessen the gloom amid all the doom, a charity is bringing Christmas cheer.

People dressed in giant polar bear costumes and others in Santa Claus outfits offer some festive spirit to a country that is a patchwork of Christian and Muslim sects.

"We need to make our children happy .... even if we are tired," said Toni Hossainy, who had brought her son.

 A Christmas tree is decorated to look like Beirut's ancient houses that were damaged in the seaport explosion. Reuters

The Christmas village has been set up in a temporary warehouse near the port, flattened by a huge explosion on Aug. 4 which also ruined a swathe of the capital.

Near the port's shattered entrance, an artist erected a towering Christmas tree decorated not with shiny baubles but with grimy protective clothing and hard hats worn by firefighters who had battled the port conflagration.

 Georgette Suleiman, 63, who looks after a Beirut school damaged by the port blast is pictured with her husband. Reuters

The blast left tens of thousands homeless in a nation already crushed by a mountain of debt.

Opera singer Elias Francis gave a concert to open the Christmas village, bringing his own microphone as a precaution against the fast-spreading coronavirus. 

"No matter how negative things are around us, like the blast, like the coronavirus, like the economic situation which is very bad, there is still a glimmer of hope," he said.

 A man dressed as Santa Claus gestures as he rides in a tourist double-decker bus in Beirut. Reuters

In a predominantly Christian quarter of Beirut, Nina said her shop selling Christmas trinkets had been packed in previous years but now closes early because there are so few customers.

Tears welled up as Georgette Suleiman, 63, who looks after a Beirut school damaged by the blast, remembered the challenges of 2020. "God willing, this Christmas will bring us joy and hope, and Lebanon will return to how it was," she said.