Defiant Philippine typhoon survivors welcome Christmas

Residents and survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan decorate a giant lantern amongst the debris from destroyed houses in the coastal area of Tacloban, Leyte province, on December 24, 2013, on the eve of Christmas. -AFP

TACLOBAN, Philippines: Philippine survivors of deadly typhoon Haiyan defiantly prepared to celebrate Christmas in their ruined communities Tuesday where hogs were being roasted, festive trees adorned streets and churches were filled to overflowing.

"Nothing can stop us from welcoming Christmas even though we have lost our home," 63-year-old butcher's wife Ellen Miano told AFP from a tiny shanty rising from a field of debris in the central city of Tacloban.