Hundreds of people come together on the day before Christmas to share a dinner on Martyrs' Square in Beirut, as one of many initiatives to bring people from different backgrounds together and to give back to those in need. The event was however also met with criticism surrounding its sponsors and organizers, one of them a wedding rental service as well as anonymous private donors. The year 2019 comes to an end with the economic crisis deepening. The newspaper An-Nahar reports that 265 restaurants and hotels had to close over the last two months.