The Elisabeth Hospital in Semarang, Central Java, has ensured that patients can still have a merry Christmas.

Wearing Santa Claus, reindeer and angel costumes, the hospital's medical workers and staff visited patients, on Wednesday, handing out cakes and cookies as Christmas gifts.

'Merry Christmas, Pak. Get well soon,' said a hospital staff member, in a Santa Claus costume, to a middle-aged male patient.

Some hospital officials also brought various musical instruments, like cello, guitar, cuk (first ukulele, or four-string jitera) and cak (second ukulele, or three-string prounga), to sing keroncong songs for the patients.

'Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,' they sang together, to the accompaniment of the string instruments. The Christmas atmosphere could be felt throughout the hospital.

Elisabeth Hospital spokesperson Probowatie Tjondronegoro said there were 355 patients currently undergoing in-patient treatment at the hospital.

'We, the nursing and administrative staff, are trying to entertain them. We want them to be happy at Christmas even though they are not in full health. We hope that if they can be happy, they will get well soon,' she said.

Christians in Semarang have been celebrating Christmas since Tuesday evening. They went through the rain to churches to attend Christmas religious services.

Dozens of Catholic churches, such as the Semarang Cathedral, the Karangpanas Church and other parish churches, held Christmas mass.

Congregation members also packed Protestant churches, such as the Immanuel Protestant Church popularly known as 'Gereja Blenduk' in the Old Town.

'We celebrated Christmas and attended mass in Semarang. After that, we will go to Yogyakarta. Our children want to spend their holiday with their grandma and grandpa in their village in Kulonprogo regency,' said Widodo Prasetyo, a resident from Banyumanik. (ebf)

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