Fellow Ukrainians!
Millions of Ukrainians today are waiting for the first star to appear in the evening sky, heralding the arrival of Christmas. A holiday of many shades. A great church holiday. An important national holiday. A family holiday. Christmas, which is always loved by children and awaited by adults. Christmas, which fills hearts with light. Christmas, which always gives hope.
For the second year now, we have learned another form of it, another dimension. This is Christmas in times of full-scale war. Christmas with a different mood, context, and flavor.
And a family dinner at home is not the same as usual. Because not all of us are at home. And not everyone has a home. And it has become much more important not what dishes are on the table, but what people are at the table. And how precious it is to have them around.
How important it is to stay in touch with those who are not around, who are defending Ukraine now. What a relief it is to see a "double tick" on the screen meaning the message was delivered and read. How crucial it is to get a response from them.
