hildren around the world often suffer most in difficult times. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children in a big way. They are quite vulnerable and in their formative years and they are deprived of many things that are part of growing up. Children are at risk not only directly from the coronavirus but indirectly also when their parents become sick or lose income, not to mention the ill effects of isolation.
In years past, the holidays season—Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year, for example—was a period of joy and celebration. This year fear has upended the plans for celebration and gatherings, except of course the few well connected and in high places. Embassies in the Washington area, along with many organizations and families have to plan carefully and avoid spreading the virus, in compliance with the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control.
Keeping the children’s well-being and happiness in mind and yet at the same time keeping the holidays spirit alive, the Luxembourg Embassy came up with a creative way to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day in Washington. “We do not have an in-person event—so we decided to prepare goodie bags for the kids in the area and parents either came to the Embassy for pick-up or we delivered to their homes,” wrote Elisabeth Herndler, Social Secretary of Cultural Affairs at the Luxembourg Embassy in Washington, DC.
Consul Stanislaus (Stan) Jean Myck handed out the goodies to children. Before coming to Washington, Stan worked in the Directorate of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in Luxembourg. In other previous assignments, Stan also worked in Lisbon, Portugal, at the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg to the UN in New York and at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Vienna, Austria.
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For those who may at times view diplomats and foreigners with suspicion, it might help to know who came to the Luxembourg Embassy pick-up event. Annick Genson, came with her two kids, Limu (6) and Shema (4), to pick up the goodie bags. This year has been tough for everyone but for Annick, Limu and Shema, the drive to the Embassy to pick up the goodie bags for the Saint Nicholas Day will become part of their precious memories and ties to Luxembourg and a world that looks kindly at them.
Describing her background, Annick wrote: “I grew up in Bettembourg, Luxembourg but have been living in many different countries around the world for the past 10 years due to my husband’s and my job in the humanitarian field. The boys were born in Luxembourg, speak Luxembourgish with me at home and we keep up all the Luxembourgish traditions and go to Luxembourg to visit family. As a family we have been living in Rwanda, Lebanon, Luxembourg and now Washington DC, where we arrived exactly 1.5 years ago. And are staying for another 1.5 years before moving to the next place.”
Like all friends of Luxembourg and those with familial ties to the Grand Duchy, there are stories to share, especially during Christmas time. When children like Limu and Shema grow up, perhaps as future diplomats, they might tell their story to other children, maybe in a different part of the world.
It was not too long ago when American soldiers made the children of the war-torn village of Wiltz happy. During the dark days of the Battle of Bulge, with destruction all around and hardly any food to be found, Richard Brookins was chosen to be portrayed as Saint Nicolas. As the story goes, the soldiers pooled their rations to provide candy and chocolate for the children. “In 1947, Wiltz reinstated their Saint Nicholas Day celebrations, but the goal was not just to honor St. Nicholas, but also to honor the "American St. Nick", as a representative of all of the American forces who had fought to liberate Luxembourg. This annual celebration became a tradition and Brookins would return to Wiltz six times to Luxembourg to participate. Brookins was granted honorary citizenship of Wiltz and in 2009 a monument in his honor. In 2016, the government of Luxembourg awarded him the Luxembourg Military Honor Medal.
The moral of the story is that alliances still matter, the allies remember, and they are not an ungrateful lot.
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A Diplomatic Story for Children of All Ages
December 10, 2020
C
hildren around the world often suffer most in difficult times. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children in a big way. They are quite vulnerable and in their formative years and they are deprived of many things that are part of growing up. Children are at risk not only directly from the coronavirus but indirectly also when their parents become sick or lose income, not to mention the ill effects of isolation.
In years past, the holidays season—Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year, for example—was a period of joy and celebration. This year fear has upended the plans for celebration and gatherings, except of course the few well connected and in high places. Embassies in the Washington area, along with many organizations and families have to plan carefully and avoid spreading the virus, in compliance with the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control.
Keeping the children’s well-being and happiness in mind and yet at the same time keeping the holidays spirit alive, the Luxembourg Embassy came up with a creative way to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day in Washington. “We do not have an in-person event—so we decided to prepare goodie bags for the kids in the area and parents either came to the Embassy for pick-up or we delivered to their homes,” wrote Elisabeth Herndler, Social Secretary of Cultural Affairs at the Luxembourg Embassy in Washington, DC.
Consul Stanislaus (Stan) Jean Myck handed out the goodies to children. Before coming to Washington, Stan worked in the Directorate of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in Luxembourg. In other previous assignments, Stan also worked in Lisbon, Portugal, at the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg to the UN in New York and at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Vienna, Austria.
For those who may at times view diplomats and foreigners with suspicion, it might help to know who came to the Luxembourg Embassy pick-up event. Annick Genson, came with her two kids, Limu (6) and Shema (4), to pick up the goodie bags. This year has been tough for everyone but for Annick, Limu and Shema, the drive to the Embassy to pick up the goodie bags for the Saint Nicholas Day will become part of their precious memories and ties to Luxembourg and a world that looks kindly at them.
Describing her background, Annick wrote: “I grew up in Bettembourg, Luxembourg but have been living in many different countries around the world for the past 10 years due to my husband’s and my job in the humanitarian field. The boys were born in Luxembourg, speak Luxembourgish with me at home and we keep up all the Luxembourgish traditions and go to Luxembourg to visit family. As a family we have been living in Rwanda, Lebanon, Luxembourg and now Washington DC, where we arrived exactly 1.5 years ago. And are staying for another 1.5 years before moving to the next place.”
Like all friends of Luxembourg and those with familial ties to the Grand Duchy, there are stories to share, especially during Christmas time. When children like Limu and Shema grow up, perhaps as future diplomats, they might tell their story to other children, maybe in a different part of the world.
It was not too long ago when American soldiers made the children of the war-torn village of Wiltz happy. During the dark days of the Battle of Bulge, with destruction all around and hardly any food to be found, Richard Brookins was chosen to be portrayed as Saint Nicolas. As the story goes, the soldiers pooled their rations to provide candy and chocolate for the children. “In 1947, Wiltz reinstated their Saint Nicholas Day celebrations, but the goal was not just to honor St. Nicholas, but also to honor the "American St. Nick", as a representative of all of the American forces who had fought to liberate Luxembourg. This annual celebration became a tradition and Brookins would return to Wiltz six times to Luxembourg to participate. Brookins was granted honorary citizenship of Wiltz and in 2009 a monument in his honor. In 2016, the government of Luxembourg awarded him the Luxembourg Military Honor Medal.
The moral of the story is that alliances still matter, the allies remember, and they are not an ungrateful lot.
