Mass protests erupted in opposition to Maduro after the election, which has since resulted in the arrest of roughly 2,000 people including politicians, journalists, and aid workers.

Just moments before Maduro's holiday announcement, a judge ordered the arrest of Gonzalez on charges of usurpation of powers, conspiracy, and falsifying documents.

Ines Quevedo, a 39-year-old mother of two children, suggested to the paper that it's hard to be jolly when "we are all worried about how we are going to put food on the table."