Streets in Hadath are devoid of any Christmas decorations on 23 December as the town recovers from Israel's war (MEE/Nader Durgham)
Cutting through the uncharacteristic darkness and silence, faint Christmas music drifts through the centre of Beirut's suburb of Hadath.
The town is still reeling from Israel's two-month war on Lebanon. Local scouts, attempting to bring as much holiday cheer as they can, organised a small Christmas party in a vocational centre.
Children had their faces painted, teenagers distributed food and young boys competed on a punching machine.
Dania Sabbagh, the centre's owner, told Middle East Eye that they hosted this event "because there are no decorations and no life at all".
"I work here, and usually there are parades and [other festivities]," she said.
This year, decorations are nearly non-existent, and just a few metres away from the scouts' party, the only sounds present are the occasional ringing of church bells in the rain.
Christian-majority Hadath is located next to Beirut's southern suburbs, colloquially known as Dahiyeh, which were subjected to heavy Israeli bombing during the war.
"We were kind of a disaster area with no one here," Viviane Karam, a giftshop owner in the town who specialises in preparing presents for major occasions, told MEE.
Israel's war on Lebanon began as border clashes with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on 8 October 2023, a day after the war on Gaza started.
The conflict escalated significantly when Israel launched a widespread bombing campaign and a ground invasion of Lebanon in September that eventually calmed down after a ceasefire agreement was signed in November.
Over 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon, with at least 84 percent of the fatalities occurring since September.
Hadath was rarely directly targeted, but it suffered some damage from nearby strikes. Glass shattered in homes and churches, while other buildings sustained more severe damage.
"Lots of families lost their homes, or at least the glass," said Karam.
Many of Hadath's residents, including Karam, temporarily left their homes for safer areas during the war.
Hoping the ceasefire would help her recover from the war's financial woes, Karam saw little business return to the war-torn area.
"There is not much work," she said as she was preparing some gift boxes. "Usually, in these times, we would be preparing [gifts] for engagements, baptisms, etc. Now, there are no occasions except for childbirths."
Hadath's mayor, George Aoun, told MEE that the municipality had not organised any holiday activities this year but would support any individual initiatives.
"The mayor was not focused on decorations. I think he was focusing more on supporting the families that were most affected [by the war]," Karam said.
Sabbagh tried to encourage local shops to put up Christmas trees or stay open at night. But when her requests went unanswered, she decided to use her own venue for the celebrations.
"Can you imagine how it would have been if all lights were switched off with no music or anything? That is how it has been," she said.
While some parts of Lebanon managed to carry out their holiday activities with lavish Christmas trees, bustling markets and festivities, many others had to adapt to the challenges of the current situation.
In Dhour el-Choueir, a town in Lebanon's mountains that hosted hundreds of displaced people during the war, the typically large Christmas tree lighting event was scaled back. A local band played songs while the tree was lit, accompanied by a small market near the town centre.
'Sometimes, kids would hear strikes in the school'
- Mary Zaila, scout member
In Derdghaya, a southern Christian town near Tyre, a Christmas tree was set up over the rubble of its 18th-century Catholic church, destroyed by a deadly Israeli strike in October.
Back in Hadath, Mary Zaila, a scout member who had to leave her home during the war, explained that while some life has returned to the town, her team is now working to support the communities most affected by Israel's attacks and bring some joy to children.
"Sometimes, kids would hear strikes in the school", forcing schools to shut down, she said.
Zaila hopes that their efforts can help cheer up the town's residents.
"Children cannot stay depressed during the holidays," she said.