Just days before Christmas, I was invited to witness a remarkable artistic and religious project: a private home in Nazareth temporarily transformed into a radiant, traditional Christmas grotto.
Despite the city’s festive street decorations, this particular lit-up and glowing building is hard to miss. As we climb the staircase, itself decorated like a Hollywood movie set, the usual white walls and ceilings are hidden by dark fabric, giving the space a cave-like feel.
Christmas in Nazareth 2025
(Video: Assaf Kamar)
On the third floor awaits a private apartment, now turned into an expansive, glowing Christmas grotto filled with statues and figurines of Santa Claus and holiday scenes. The glittering ceiling and glowing balcony make the entire apartment feel like a luminous shrine to the season, blending faith, community, creativity and art.
Michael Haddad, 42, an architect and member of Nazareth’s Christian community, never intended to turn his wife’s family home into a local holiday attraction. But over a decade, what began as a simple family tradition drew more and more visitors, transforming the modest home into a joyful space open to all.
Neighbors, relatives and church members now gather each year to help build the installation, not as part of a city initiative or tourist venture, but simply a private family effort. And in my view, it’s become the most spectacular Christmas grotto in the Middle East.
“It’s my father-in-law’s home,” Haddad explained. “We live here, and ahead of Christmas we turn it into a place of joy for the holiday."
In Christian tradition, a Christmas nativity grotto symbolizes the cave in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. These scenes often include Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, and sometimes shepherds, angels and animals. It’s not just festive décor; it's meant to evoke humility and hope at the heart of the Nativity story.
It turns out the apartment’s elaborate transformation didn’t happen overnight. “It didn’t start big,” Haddad emphasized. “We started with a small corner and a tree. Then we added a small grotto with Mary, Joseph and Jesus, and year by year it grew", he recalled. “First it was one wall, then another, then the ceiling." Then came COVID-19. “During the pandemic, we had a lot of free time,” he said with a smile. “So we decorated the staircase, lit up the building’s exterior walls, and expanded into the kitchen.”
Today, he said, there’s not a single corner untouched by holiday cheer. “Every part of the house is decorated, and it brings us so much joy. We spend two full months preparing – building the grotto, hanging lights. We’re just a private family, but once it got bigger, our friends and church community came to help. We love Christmas,” he said, smiling.
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Michael Haddad proud of his creation and invites the public to experience it
(Photo: Assaf Kamar)
The family patriarch, Suleiman Shalash, 91, beamed as he moved through his now-dazzling home, which had turned into a disco-like party space – reminiscent of the Midburn desert festival – hosting a multigenerational dance celebration with kids, parents and grandchildren. Everyone is dancing and enjoying the moment, offering me traditional holiday cookies as a gesture of hospitality. “What you see here – the kids, the dancing, the joy, for me and for Jesus, it’s a great happiness,” he said.
I sampled cookies that tasted like paradise, while Pastor Saleem Shalash, of the Home of Jesus the King Church in Nazareth, explained the meaning of the holiday. “Christmas happened 2,025 years ago, when the angels announced Jesus’ birth, and that message was here, in Nazareth, where we live. We celebrate the arrival of our Savior. The lights and decorations in our homes and streets are a message of a holiday filled with peace and joy."
Suddenly, the music in the grotto turned up, and three volunteers in full Santa suits – red fur, white beards – began dancing and entertaining the guests. The whole extended family joined in, singing and dancing. “We bring joy through love and care,” said Sami, wiping sweat from under his heavy costume. “When Santa Claus is needed, we forget who we are, drop our egos and come to bring happiness."
Two years ago, during the somber Christmas following the October 7 Hamas terror attack, I met Sami and his local Santa crew as they tried to cheer up evacuated families from northern Israel staying in Nazareth hotels. But Christmas 2025 feels entirely different: Nazareth’s energetic Santas are back in full swing, inviting me to the lighting of the city’s giant Christmas tree near the Basilica of the Annunciation.
That plaza, a familiar site to Christians around the world, was filled with a few hundred local worshippers and a handful of Israeli visitors taking part in the Galilee’s colorful winter celebration. Foreign tourists and pilgrims were noticeably absent, with no clear sign of when they might return. Still, the tallest Christmas tree in the Middle East lit up with thousands of twinkling lights, and red fireworks painted the sky.
Strikingly, and perhaps surprisingly to an Israeli eye, there was no visible police presence at this large public gathering, nor were there the basic security arrangements typically seen in Israel, such as security fencing or bag checks, lending the event the carefree feel of a holiday abroad.
In summary: visiting the apartment-turned-Christmas-grotto was a delight. Not just because of the intricate decorations or heavenly cookies, but because of the joyful, warm, family-centered atmosphere – a reminder of hope for a renewed Middle East. Since this is a private home, those interested in visiting are asked to schedule a tour through the family’s Instagram page.
And if you’d rather skip the pricey flights to Europe’s Christmas markets and spend 24 hours in Nazareth’s Old City, filled with festive cheer, culinary surprises and heartwarming encounters, you’re welcome here. You’re in for a treat.