In Bethlehem, Christmas celebrations make a comeback after pause in Gaza war

Christmas started in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, and now the celebration is bringing some much-needed holiday cheer right where it was born

Christmas started in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, and now the celebration is bringing some much-needed holiday cheer right where it was born.

After years in which the horrors of the war in Gaza, 50 miles away, led to festivities to being canceled, a fragile ceasefire has brought some hope back to the city, which sits in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Christmas Eve celebrations were in full swing on Wednesday, with a band playing underneath a large Christmas tree in Manger Square, while a traditional procession from Jerusalem led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was welcomed into the city.