Guest Column | Nez-Lizer wish Diné a safe and Merry Christmas

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer wish all Navajo families, elders, and youth a safe and Merry Christmas, and encourage everyone to take precautions to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as they celebrate the holiday.

Nez said as we gather to celebrate the season, and the birth of Jesus Christ, we wish you and your family a joyful and peaceful Christmas. As this modern-day monster known as COVID-19 continues to impact our loved ones and our communities, our people remain strong and resilient.

Together, we continue to demonstrate the strength and determination of our elders, which has helped us to reach a 72% vaccination rate, and 85% for our elderly population.

As we approach Christmas and a New Year, we also thank and pray for our frontline warriors, who are putting themselves at risk to keep us safe and save lives. This holiday season, please help our health-care workers and first responders by taking precautions to keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy.

During the month of December, the Nez-Lizer administration has distributed turkeys, hams, toys, clothing, and other items to families in need and special needs students. The Navajo Department of Health has also led the way to inform the public about COVID-19 cases, vaccination rates, to caution people about the growing spread of the new Omicron variant, and provide safety guidelines and protocols to keep families safe.

This holiday season, we ask you to get vaccinated and those vaccinated to now take the booster shot. And with that, our thoughts from our administration, we wish you a Merry Christmas and hope 2022 brings you and your family hope, healing, and kindness.

Lizer said Christmas is a joyful time for families across our Navajo Nation, but we must also remember those who are facing challenges and perhaps the loss of a loved one. Please pray for them and offer your love and support to one another.

As you safely gather with your family during the holidays, let us also pray for those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, for our police officers, firefighters, emergency responders, and all that work through the holidays to keep us safe. This week, as we celebrate Christmas in our homes and churches, among family and friends, let us accept and share the gifts of joy, peace, and love.

To our Navajo people, from our family to yours, Merry Christmas. May you each enjoy a safe and blessed holiday season.

Phefelia Nez and Dottie Lizer also offered holiday greetings and messages for Navajo families, youth, and elders.

Phefelia Nez said as we celebrate Christmas, we are thankful for the gift of faith and compassion. The best Christmas gift we can give each other is to share our faith, compassion, and love with loved ones, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

Our world, nation and homes are faced with hardship, grief and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, but by loving each other as profoundly as God loved us by sending us his son, we can begin to heal and rejoice. With God, anything is possible.

Our family wishes peace and blessings to all Navajo families during the Christmas season.

Dottie Lizer said we would like to take a moment to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. We will be celebrating hope, peace, love, and joy during this season. We pray that all these four blessings will fill your home and life in every way this Christmas.

We are grateful to God because he is the reason for Christmas. Without Christ’s presence among us, we would be lost. We are being healed, transformed, reconciled, and made whole through God’s presence. I pray that you and your family have a fantastic Christmas.

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