The emergency does not take a Christmas break

Inna (36) lives with her two daughters and her father in Liubar, Ukraine. Life has been anything but easy. War and illness have left deep scars. Inna has battled a serious illness, undergone chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, all while trying to be a safe and loving mother to Anastasia (13) and Melania (5). 

Due to her health, she cannot work. Her father, who is retired, does his best to support the family, but the money is not enough. 

For almost four years, the war has been a part of everyday life. Air raids, dark nights and constant fear characterize life. She says that the children feel everything.  

Inna does everything she can to create security. When the flight alarm goes off, she tells stories, plays finger games and tries to keep her spirits up. But the children understand. This is not the childhood she wanted for them. 

Christmas is approaching. Inna is clinging to traditions. She hopes to make a nativity scene with the children, decorate the tree and cook according to her grandmother's recipes: kutia with honey and nuts, kohlrabi and cheesecake. 

Christmas is magical, she thinks. She remembers singing carols as a child at her grandmother's and being fed warm apples with honey and nuts. Now she tries to give her children a glimpse of that same warmth – in the middle of the darkness. 

Even though the war makes life difficult, Inna looks for reasons to be grateful. She dreams of peace. Of getting well. Of a safe future for her children. And she believes in miracles, especially at Christmas time.