The Christmas tree in Kyiv was lit up on Wednesday evening and dozens of residents enjoyed restrained festivities on St. Nicholas day. Before the full-scale conflict, Sophia Square was always bright with lights at Christmas. This year, however, there will not be any events during the Christmas holidays in Kyiv, according to mayor Vitali Klitschko. “At any moment, an air alert can sound and this means that everyone must be in a shelter”, said Klitschko. Many children came to see the Christmas tree with their parents and played with decorations. Irpin resident Varvara Harakoi came to see the tree with her daughters. Their house in Irpin was damaged during the Russian occupation. She said that her children wrote letters to St. Nicholas that she was upset to read. "I asked in a letter to St. Nicholas to save my family and to end the war”, said 9-year-old Zlata. Mariupol resident Yulia Kolesnikova came to see the tree with her 3-year-old daughter Lera. Yulia remembered the Christmas tree that they had in Mariupol before the outbreak of violence. “Some kind of positive emotions are needed for the child, so that psychologically the child can escape from this," said Kolesnikova.