The holiday is here, but happiness is under detention!

Another holiday is approaching.

At one end of the table, a pot is boiling; at the other, an electricity bill.

Messages saying "Happy holidays" are circulating in WhatsApp groups; but for some, they are hollow, and for others, their pockets are already empty.

The purchasing power of the citizens is eroding day by day. Prices are skyrocketing in every field, from basic food items to housing costs, transportation, and energy.

According to TUIK, the rate of those who feel happy this year has dropped to 49.6%.

Turkey is officially unhappy.

Even complaining out loud on the street is risky!

Because in this country, it is no longer just being unhappy that is a problem, but saying out loud that you are unhappy feels like a crime.

Elected mayors are being removed from office, thrown into prison in waves of operations, and the will of the people is being discarded for arbitrary reasons.

Those who object are constantly under the threat of imprisonment.

And those left behind? They maintain their silence, fearing that "something might happen to us!"

The high cost of living has become the public's biggest problem.

Grocery bags have become lighter, dining tables have become simpler, and holiday clothes have remained in the shop windows.

Even that old saying, "Price hikes will come after the holiday," is no longer sincere; the hikes are already here to stay.

Still, despite this entire picture, we are still celebrating the holiday.

Perhaps out of habit, perhaps out of stubbornness.

Perhaps we are stubborn enough to share even our unhappiness in these lands and still say, "Happy holidays."

Even those whose siblings are imprisoned, whose children are unemployed, or whose spouses are under pressure are still kissing hands and offering hospitality.

This is a great act of resistance.

Greeting one another has almost become a political act.

Because some want us to become isolated.

They want us to cancel our holidays and our dreams as well.

But we stubbornly brew tea. We put a plate of homemade cookies on the table.

And perhaps that is exactly why there is still hope.

Turkey is unhappy.

But there are millions who still wink at each other, who still say, "Happy holidays."

And in this country, despite everything, celebrating the holiday is, today, perhaps the greatest form of civil resistance.

Happy holidays, Turkey! With the dream of a future without detentions, without price hikes, without being silenced, without poverty, and with happiness....

happy holidays...