everything is closed. all hotels are empty. it's very, very difficult - for people — especially those who are working i in tourism sector. they are selling somej of the land to houses. the characters of christmas come to life. in this olive wood factory, ibrahim is the only worker here today. normally, he'd be joined by four more. for palestinian christians in this part of the west bank, life has been a challenge, says nabeel, whose family has run the shop for decades. we could keep our workers till the moment, but i don't know. you know, it's hard. i have two shops — one is here. the one on the manger square, it's been like 2a months, zero income. it's sad — it's not normal to see bethlehem this way. but at christmas, there's always light to look up to. as this town celebrates, it remains a year of hope against the odds. merry christmas! tom bateman,