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As the war in Ukraine enters its third winter, those who fled seek the ‘joy and magic of Christmas’
'I have one big wish that the war in Ukraine ends and peace comes.'
Several letters submitted to Globe Santa by Ukrainian and Russian families this holiday season prove that in the two-and-half years since the war first began, these family’s wishes for a return to normalcy have only grown stronger.
“Unfortunately, we are building our lives from the bottom, but step by step we are trying to become useful for [the] US and have financial independence,” one Ukrainian mom wrote.
A gift-filled Christmas morning, these letter writers say, is one of the key ways they can piece together at least a semblance of what their lives looked like before Russia invaded its western neighbor.
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That event, on Feb. 24, 2022, jumpstarted the largest European conflict since World War II. Estimates of human loss since the war’s beginning vary, but some have put the number of deaths and casualties on both sides of the conflict at 1 million.
The vast majority of displaced countrymen have fled to neighboring European countries, primarily Poland. A large share of Ukrainian refugees have entered the US through the federal Uniting for Ukraine program. In February 2023, the Department of Homeland Security reported that the US admitted 271,000 Ukrainian refugees since the war’s outbreak — more than doubling President Biden’s goal of 100,000. A smaller share of migrants have made their way through Mexico and entered the country with tourist visas.
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Temporary protected status, which permits newcomers to work legally in the US, for Ukrainian refugees has been extended into April 2025.
The ongoing war has spurred some civilians to resettle in Massachusetts. Of the roughly 11,000 migrants that the state recorded between October 2022 and September 2023, 13 percent of them came from Ukraine. However, the state only tracks migrants that receive federal assistance, so it is possible that there could be many more Ukrainian refugees that are unaccounted for who aren’t eligible for legal status or crossed into the country illegally.
The batch of letters sent from families on both sides of the tragic war show the conflict’s lasting effects. For many newly settled households, celebrating Christmas as they once did is out of reach.
One family now living on the North Shore fled Ukraine more than six months ago, and is “happy to become a part of American society.” The mother, writing on behalf of the family, said that while their time spent acclimating to a new country has been challenging, her son “is returning to the normal childhood he had before the war.”
“We are happy to live under a peaceful sky and sleep at night not in a shelter, hiding from rockets,” the letter reads. “Thank you the USA for this opportunity!”
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The mom said receiving a Globe Santa donation would give her son even more stability by providing him with the “joy and magic of Christmas.” And maybe one day, the parents might be able to afford Christmas gifts on their own.
It is not just Ukrainians who have suffered under the ongoing war; many Russians’ lives have been upended, too. US Customs and Border Protection logged roughly 57,000 encounters with Russian migrants within the 2023 federal fiscal year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023. This was a nearly 60 percentincrease from the previous year.
“It was very unsafe to stay in our homeland,” a Russian mother wrote to Globe Santa.
A Boston-area mom wrote that while being unable to work means she can spend more time with her two-year-old son who desperately needs it, the days spent not earning a paycheck have been worrisome.
“My husband is currently unemployed and we are experiencing financial difficulties,” the Russian mother wrote with the help of Google Translate. “But we would really like to please our son and congratulate him on the long-awaited holiday.”
While most families’ submissions spoke about the potential impact of a Globe Santa donation, a 9-year-old girl who settled in the US last December said she would find, instead, solace in the immaterial.
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“I have one big wish that the war in Ukraine ends and peace comes and [I] can see my grandparents again,” the girl wrote. “Thank you Santa!”
Lunch with Globe Santa
The Medford Kiwanis Club, now in its 35th year of supporting Globe Santa, is hosting a Globe Santa meet-and-greet, with pizza, for the children of Medford on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Great American Beer Hall. Kids will receive a slice of pizza, a soda, and a surprise from Santa. Cookies provided by Modern Pastry. Reserve a lunch ticket at www.MedfordKiwanisClub.com The event takes place at 142 Mystic Ave., Medford, from noon-2 p.m.
For 69 years Globe Santa, a program of the Boston Globe Foundation, has provided gifts to children in need at holiday time. Please consider giving by phone, mail, or online at globesanta.org.
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