🌈 1386 — Wednesday, 24 December 2025, 23:24

London

Greetings to everyone on this Christmas Eve.

You know, the word “eve” actually comes from “evening.” Originally, it meant the day or night before an important occasion. Over time, the meaning shifted. “Eve” stopped referring only to the evening and came to describe the entire day leading up to the event. That’s why we now think of Christmas Eve as the whole of 24 December, just like New Year’s Eve on the 31st. A small fun fact for today, lol 🎄

Right now, I have my parents’ living room camera open on my phone. It’s resting on my desk, leaning against the teacup I made earlier. For them, it’s 4:32 a.m. For me, it’s almost midnight. I’m not near my parents or with family – just by myself again. But that’s life. Everyone experiences time away from family at some point.

Funny enough, the radio is on. It’s sitting on the left-hand corner of my desk. And funnily enough again, the guy on the radio is talking about the movie Home Alone, perfectly fitting the moment. And this song is playing right now:

*“The hills are alive with the sound of music, With songs they have sung for a thousand years. The hills fill my heart with the sounds of music, My heart wants to sing every song it hears.

My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise From the lake to the trees. My heart wants to sing like a chime that flies…”*

It just feels beautiful. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

As I’m writing this, the first alarm just went off in the block opposite mine – right on Seventeen, Clarges Street. I open the window, hoping to see people come out, but no one’s out. Most of the lights are off. A lot of people have gone away. The Lebanese restaurant on the right side of that block has just shut down. I saw one of the guys removing the chairs. Normally, they’re open past midnight – music playing, football on the screen, hookahs still on, but not tonight.

But it’s Christmas Eve. Everything shuts down by midnight. Buses, trains, tubes – everything.

This reminds me of 2009, the first time I was in the UK. I arrived in October, and by December, it was my first Christmas in London. Just as beautiful as it is now.

That night, I happened to be out in Soho, moving from one place to another, completely unaware that everything would shut down. I left Old Compton Street around midnight as places were closing and walked to the tube station – only to find it closed. It was the first time I had ever seen trains not running. I asked someone about buses. They were off too.

It was freezing cold. I was new. I was living in East Ham at the time, in East London. Soho is quite far from there – about 45 minutes by train from central London.

There were no iPhones or Google Maps back then. Some people carried paper maps, but you really had to know how to read them. I don’t think I even had one. I started walking aimlessly, just wandering, following my instincts. There were a few people around at first, but as the night deepened, everyone disappeared. It became a ghost town.

I kept walking. Praying. Regretting why I had even left home that evening, promising myself I’d never do it again for a long time. I was exhausted. I had started walking around midnight, and by then it was close to 2 a.m. Freezing. Tired. Just wanting to get home.

After many years of living here, I now know I was in the Millbank area that night from Soho. Far ahead, I saw a man smoking – probably the only person I had seen in over an hour. I felt relieved. I asked him why there were no buses and told him I was trying to get home to East Ham.

He was shocked. He said, “What are you doing here?”

I explained I had been out earlier, tried to get the tube, and everything was closed for Christmas. I asked him for directions to East Ham. He said, “But East Ham is very far from here.” He asked how I didn’t know. I told him I had just arrived in the UK, that I was a student, young, just under 21.

The man was kind. He said, “Come with me.”

He took me into his office. The reception gave me a visitor’s badge. He took me upstairs, and to my surprise, an entire floor was full of people working past midnight – around 2 a.m. A large office. He stood there and announced:

“Hey guys, this is Ash. He’s new to the country, a student. Is anyone heading toward East London later when you finish work?”

Everyone replied no. They were all heading in different directions. Some had cars. Some had cabs booked for around 3 a.m. when they finished.

To be honest, I didn’t even ask for help. They just started contributing money. Everyone stood up and emptied what they had in their pockets. The man who brought me upstairs called someone downstairs and booked a cab for me. It cost £70. They all chipped in and covered it.

He walked me downstairs, helped me into the cab, wished me Merry Christmas, gave me his number, and asked me to text him when I got home.

That was the first time I truly saw London from a cab – Central London, then Tower Bridge, followed by the riverside, then East London, everything in between. Until then, I had only travelled by tube or bus around East London, never really through central London.

And that place was a BBC office.

Even now, it gives me chills thinking about it – the kindness of those people. I stayed in touch with that man for many years, until I eventually lost my phone and contact faded.

But honestly – BBC, whoever you were, and everyone who chipped in that night to send me home – thank you from the bottom of my heart. If I ever leave anything meaningful behind through my writing, or if I am who I am today, it’s because of people like you. You taught me by example. Thank you.

Now, finally, I’ll write about my day before heading to bed. It’s already past midnight.

I woke up early today, though I had slept strangely. I logged in to work from home – it was Christmas Eve, and most people were off. Only a couple of us were keeping things afloat, and it was quite busy. I managed to get a lot done.

I got ready to squeeze in a quick workout during my lunch break. Just as I was about to leave, more work came in, so I went back upstairs, finished it, and then headed out. I reached the Marshall Street Leisure Centre at 13:40 – only to find it closed. Closing time was 2 p.m. for Christmas Eve. The notice had been on the door for days, but I had never paid attention. I assumed the gym and pool would be open until at least 5 p.m. But no.

I headed back and stopped at Sainsbury’s opposite the Mayfair Hotel to get groceries for tomorrow, knowing everything would be shut.

I returned home, made a quick lunch, and got back to work. Before logging off, my dear boss gave me a truly touching compliment. It meant a lot. A little appreciation goes a long way. From now on, I give everyone permission – no matter who they are – to give compliments freely. Appreciate people. Appreciate everything. Just appreciate others.

She said: “In case I get caught up, I just want to say have a lovely break. Thank you so much for working and supporting the team, Ash. For the holidays, may your heart feel open and light, and may joy follow you into the new year.”

All the hard work over the years felt paid for in those kind words. Thank you.

I logged off around 6 p.m. and went straight to bed for a nap. While still scrolling through my phone, my brother messaged asking if I would join a video call. Mum was on with my nephew and niece – three countries, one call. I spoke briefly, said I was going to nap, mentioned it was 5 degrees outside, and wished them goodnight.

I slept until 7:30 p.m., made a quick dinner, ate while watching YouTube music videos, and now I’m here writing before bed.

Three things I felt grateful for today:

• Grateful for the beautiful year I’ve had so far.

• Grateful for parents.

• Grateful for incredibly loving and caring people around me.

What would it take – for me and for you – to wake up ten times stronger, healthier, more energetic, happier, more confident… to wake early, go for a run, everything to be okay with family, friends and everyone around, then have a relaxing, relaxing, relaxing yet a productive, joyful Christmas Day tomorrow?

Sending my love, seasonal greetings, and a very Merry Christmas to all.

I love you all.

Goodnight. Good luck.

Ash Khaleem