We do not want war, we want to get along with one another; we do not want to hate each other, we wish to share cultures and to understand and celebrate our differences. This is my Christmas Message for 2018. I wish my readers, supporters and those who hate my guts and send me death threats just because I am honest enough to say what I think the very best for this season, and for their families and loved ones, and a Happy New Year full of good health, good luck, opportunities and all they wish for.

In Russia, Grandfather Frost (Ded Moroz) and his grand-daughter, Snegurochka, the Snow Girl, bring presents to good children, on New Year’s Eve. This inclusive and gender-equality example, embedded in Russian tradition, can be translated into a message of global goodwill.

Suppose people take the reins of power into their hands, informing themselves and questioning the official lines of events, understanding that we are all and should all be equal, from birth, man or woman, black or white, Moslem, Buddhist or Christian or whatever, rich or poor, beggar or thief?

Let us embrace each other and celebrate our differences, let us learn each others’ languuages (now I am teaching myself Mandarin Chinese), let us research our varieties in terms of religion, in terms of culture, music, literature, plastic arts, let us embrace our neighbor whether he or she is a he or a she or an it, a transsexual, a gay, a lesbian, a queer, a bisexual, black, white, green, blue, pink… these are labels which do not define the “who”.

Christmas: A time for reflection