– For me, a lot of Christmas is about lights, but with massive destruction of infrastructure, there is little of that. That says Vyacheslav Grynevych, head of Caritas Ukraine Spes and priest in the Greek Catholic Church.   

Secretary General Ingrid Rosendorf Joys met with him in Kyiv in November where he shared his concerns about the coming winter, which will be even harsher than the previous one.  

Last year we could have as little as two hours of electricity a day. It could be even worse now. It's not just about electricity, but about the ability to live a normal life. Without electricity and water, it's hard to cook. Without the internet, it's hard to organize your life. Celebrating Christmas in such circumstances is not the same, says Grynevych, who hopes the war will end soon. 

He misses Christmas as it was before the full-scale war. Back then, families and friends would go to church together and sing carols. Everything is different now. The same goes for the tradition of setting the table for an extra person on Christmas Eve – in case of an unexpected visitor.

– Now that many have lost a loved one in the war, there is more than one place that should have been covered. It is sad, says Caritas -the leader.

As a priest in the Greek Catholic Church, Grynevych is concerned that people gather at Christmas so that no one sits at home in loneliness.  

– We pray and cry together, and to Catholics in Norway I would say:

– Please pray for us. Thank you for your solidarity. It gives us the feeling that we are not alone.