KEY POINTS:
BETHLEHEM - In biblical Bethlehem, Santa makes his rounds in cool shades.
The dark sunglasses are a Palestinian addition to Santa's traditional garb of red suit and black boots, meant to ensure that children in the tiny, tight-knit Christian community in Jesus' traditional birthplace do not recognise the man bringing them presents.
Each year, volunteer Santas fan out across Bethlehem and the nearby West Bank Christian communities of Beit Jalla and Beit Sahour to deliver presents to the homes of children in the community. And for a change after years of conflict, there is a spirit of optimism, with tourism boosted by Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts.
One of this season's Santas is Khaled Rishmawi, 21, a Greek Orthodox Christian. He said he volunteered "to give back the joy Santa gave me as a child."
"Every child must feel the joy of Christmas because they don't have much joy. Their joy is when Santa Claus brings them a present," he said.
Rishmawi is delivering about 50 presents purchased at Yasmine's Gift Shop in Beit Sahour, owned by a distant relative, Hana Rishmawi. Popular items include Lego blocks, remote-controlled cars for boys and dolls for girls.
For the shopowner, these are good times. Tourism was ravaged by seven years of fighting between Israel and the Palestinians. But this year, the number of visitors is up following last week's pledge to resume of peace talks.
In Rishmawi's shop, families spend up to $66 on each gift, even if they have to pay in installments.
He said his business grows a little every year, a small miracle considering that Christians are a diminishing minority - just 2 per cent of the West Bank's 2.4 million residents. Economic hardship - the result of years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict - and growing Muslim fervor have fueled the Christian exodus.
In October, 40,000 tourists entered Bethlehem, the highest number in years, in buses passing through a checkpoint gate in the separation barrier. Although tourists don't stay long - an average of two hours - it's still one of Bethlehem's better years since the second Palestinian uprising began in 2000.
"If the politics goes to ruin, tourism goes to ruin," said George Juha, a local restaurant owner.
This year's mini-boom has given Hana Rishmawi a dose of holiday cheer, but it also has been a source of stress. For the past 20 years, he dispatched about six Santas to deliver presents to more than 100 children. He said the operation has become so complicated that he's thinking of scaling back.
Rain wets the presents - and it always seems to rain on Christmas, residents say. It also muddies the roads and causes aging cars to get stuck or break down. Once they reach the children's houses, Santas are often shooed away because "the children are asleep, can you come back later?"
"It's a headache," he sighs.
A tired Hana Rishmawi has already told parents that they can choose between a home-delivered present, or his preference: picking up the gift from a hall decked-out with Christmas decorations, where his son will play cheery music, and a Santa will be on hand to take photos with the kids.
While the red-suited Santa is largely a Western custom, it has become one of the most beloved Christian traditions in the West Bank.
Bernard Sabella, a 62-year-old social activist, said when he was a child, he'd wake up to candied nuts, chocolates and balloons on Christmas.
"When we'd ask where the presents came from, our parents said Baba Noel, but we never saw him," Sabella said, referring to Santa by his Arabic name. Father Marwan Deidis, 33, had a visit from Santa throughout his childhood Christmases.
Most of Rishmawi's Santas have been young male relatives, though there have been a few women and Muslims in the bunch.
Santas follow strict rules: They're expected to ring a hand-held bell, call the children's names, take a photo, and - occasionally - remove the fake beard and dark sunglasses to reassure teary children that there's nothing to fear.
The government of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad says it will spend $134,000 decorating Bethlehem and nearby villages - double what rival Hamas spent on the town when it was in power last year.
The prime minister also promised a $1600 cash bonus to broke shopkeepers to keep their stores open for the next six months, starting with Christmas season. The arrangement will begin in Bethlehem, and spread to other West Bank towns, said Khuloud Deibas, the tourism minister.
- AP
