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Christmas in Puerto Rico: A holiday season in the dark

Jesus M. Montijo poses with his son Damian Kaleb, 1,

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Jesus M. Montijo poses with his son Damian Kaleb, 1, in the shelter for Hurricane Maria victims where they currently reside, in front of the shelter's Christmas tree on Christmas day, Dec. 25, 2017 in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. He said their home was destroyed by Hurricane Maria and they have been forced to live in shelters ever since. Around 600 Hurricane Maria victims remain in shelters across Puerto Rico. Barely three months after Hurricane Maria made landfall, approximately one-third of the devastated island is still without electricity. While the official death toll from the massive storm remains at 64, The New York Times recently reported the actual toll for the storm and its aftermath likely stands at more than 1,000. A recount was ordered by the governor as the holiday season approached. Mario Tama, Getty Images
Musicians warm up playing parrandas, a Puerto Rican

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Musicians warm up playing parrandas, a Puerto Rican tradition similar to Christmas carols, along a darkened street on Christmas Eve in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Mario Tama, Getty Images
A car battery connected to an inverter and a generator

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A car battery connected to an inverter and a generator provide power for a makeshift street party, on a block without grid electricity, on Christmas Eve in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Mario Tama, Getty Images
Faithful gather following 'midnight mass' at the Nuestra

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Faithful gather following 'midnight mass' at the Nuestra Senora Del Carmen Church on Christmas Eve on Dec. 24, 2017 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The mass finished well before midnight this year to accomodate those who live in areas without electricity. The church ran the mass with a generator. Mario Tama, Getty Images
Faithful pray beneath a painting depicting Jesus Christ,

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Faithful pray beneath a painting depicting Jesus Christ, lit with Christmas lights, during 'midnight mass' at the Nuestra Senora Del Carmen Church on Christmas Eve. Mario Tama, Getty Images
Faithful hold hands during 'midnight mass' at the Nuestra

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Faithful hold hands during 'midnight mass' at the Nuestra Senora Del Carmen Church on Christmas Eve. Mario Tama, Getty Images
An altar server kisses a doll depicting Jesus Christ

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An altar server kisses a doll depicting Jesus Christ during 'midnight mass' at the Nuestra Senora Del Carmen Church. Mario Tama, Getty Images
A member of the Medina family holds her cell phone

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A member of the Medina family holds her cell phone for light before dinner on Christmas Eve in San Isidro, Puerto Rico. Most of the neighborhood remains without electricity. Mario Tama, Getty Images
A resident sits in her living room with a Christmas

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A resident sits in her living room with a Christmas tree on Dec. 23, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Mario Tama, Getty Images
Wilmarie González Rivera prepares her children, Jaiden,

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Wilmarie González Rivera prepares her children, Jaiden, Melanie and Yeinelis Oliveras González, to attend a Christmas party at their school in Morovis, Puerto Rico on Dec. 22, 2017. Their father Jose Luis Gonzalez pieced the roof himself. FEMA has not given them any assistance. Carlos Giusti, AP
Six-year=old Melanie Oliveras Gonzalez holds a small

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Six-year=old Melanie Oliveras Gonzalez holds a small figure of a Christmas tree, in the living room of her house in Sector Padre Ibanes, in Morovis, Puerto Rico on Dec. 21, 2017. Carlos Giusti, AP
Inocencia Rivera, mother of Eduardo Gonzalez, a man

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Inocencia Rivera, mother of Eduardo Gonzalez, a man who committed suicide three weeks after the passage of Hurricane Maria, receives the night in her balcony, surrounded by small, solar powered Christmas lights and a Puerto Rico flag, in Morovis, Puerto Rico on Dec. 21, 2017. Government officials say they are counting some suicides as part of the official death toll because people across Puerto Rico have become so desperate in post-hurricane conditions. Carlos Giusti, AP

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    Jesus M. Montijo poses with his son Damian Kaleb, 1, in the shelter for Hurricane Maria victims where they currently reside, in front of the shelter's Christmas tree on Christmas day, Dec. 25, 2017 in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. He said their home was destroyed by Hurricane Maria and they have been forced to live in shelters ever since. Around 600 Hurricane Maria victims remain in shelters across Puerto Rico. Barely three months after Hurricane Maria made landfall, approximately one-third of the devastated island is still without electricity. While the official death toll from the massive storm remains at 64, The New York Times recently reported the actual toll for the storm and its aftermath likely stands at more than 1,000. A recount was ordered by the governor as the holiday season approached.