RAMALLAH, West Bank — Sami Said Debebne, also known as Abu Abdullah, lit up the Christmas tree at his residence Dec. 16 in Sebastia village, Nablus governorate, in the northern West Bank. This came one day after he, his wife and their three children attended the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the city of Nablus, nearly 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from his village.

Debebne, 50, works as a secretary at the Rujeib elementary school for boys in Nablus. His family is the only remaining Christian family in Sebastia village, where 3,500 people live and which is rich in ruins.

Debebne and his family are spending the holidays in his wife’s birthplace, Zababdeh, where 3,000 Christians reside — two-thirds of its inhabitants. Zababdeh is 15 kilometers southeast of the city of Jenin, also in the northern West Bank. It is 45 kilometers from Nablus to Jenin. 

Debebne is happy at Sebastia, where coexistence and strong social ties among the residents prevail. He told Al-Monitor, “Although we are the only remaining Christian family in the village, we live in peace. We do not feel that there are any sectarian conflicts or discrimination between Muslims and Christians.” He added, “My children are students of public schools at the village; they learn the Islamic curriculum, just as my brother and I did before. The inhabitants of the village congratulate me on the holidays, and I do the same on the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays.”