Embattled Socialist Dictator Declares Christmas Is Coming Almost Three Months Early

Venezuela’s embattled dictator Nicolas Maduro made an unusual declaration on Monday — Christmas is coming almost three months early.

Maduro is deeply unpopular among the Venezuelan public but has refused to give up power, having falsely declared himself the winner of the country’s July presidential elections despite overwhelming evidence he lost in a landslide. As pressure grows on Maduro to leave office, he announced Monday that he is moving the traditional Dec. 25 Christmas holiday up to Oct. 1 to create a season filled “with peace, happiness and security,” in an apparent effort to distract from his political turmoil.

“September smells like Christmas!” Maduro told a crowd during his weekly television show, according to a translation provided by CNN. “This year and to honor you all, to thank you all, I am going to decree the beginning of Christmas on Oct. 1. Christmas arrived for everyone.”

It is not the first time Maduro announced that Christmas would be celebrated earlier than usual, according to CNN. He pulled the same stunt during the COVID-19 pandemic, although he has never declared the holiday as early as Oct. 1.

Maduro’s move is unlikely to raise spirits among the Venezuelan people, who have fallen under calamitous poverty and authoritarian governance under Maduro’s socialist rule, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

“Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, family reunions, parties, presents,” José Ernesto Ruiz, a 57-year-old office worker, told