We should not allow the Christmas story to be stripped of its humanity or cleansed of its muck and grime. Its power is in its reality that should serve to focus our attention on our responsibility to see in the birth of Jesus: the faces of the outcasts for whom there is no room in the inn; the wretched of the earth for whom there is no comfort; and the frightened exiles who seek only safety and refuge. It is only when we do not avert our glance from these reminders that we can understand the story and spirit of Christmas.

The bigger threat to Lebanese stability is the implosion of Syria, which long played a dominant, sometimes controlling, role in Lebanon. Hezbollah has directly intervened on the side of the Assad regime. The Shia movement's involvement risks bringing the conflict back to Lebanon, as did Hezbollah's costly 2006 war with Israel.

The fact that the Druzes, as a distinct group of Israeli Arabs, have, despite job discrimination, flourished in Israel, offers hope for the future of Arab-Jewish cooperation and working together in the strife torn Middle East.

Sweida has until now largely stayed out of the war.