Christmas is a worldwide celebration, which is held on December 25th. It’s a joyous holiday, a day to enjoy with your family, and overall a festive time to enjoy. We get a two week break off of school in America because of Christmas and many other holidays as well, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. But, do you ever wonder what it’s like for someone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, or any holidays in the winter?

     Well, I’ll give you my experience as someone who doesn’t celebrate the said holidays. 

   On Christmas, there aren’t any stores open, so I’m bored out of my mind until the night. My father would be cooking dinner, and my mother would be on the phone with our Muslim friends. It’s honestly a great day to spend time with your loved ones and a break from everything, as my brother would say. My brother is unable to play hockey, and my ballet practices are canceled which letsme and my brother have a day to ourselves. 

     So, what do we do to keep ourselves entertained? The way we celebrate the day is by thinking of it as a festive day where we just lay off and have a fun day with the family. We would play video games, watch TV, and just spend this day like any other day. We also cook and invite our close family friends and our friends who celebrate Christmas over for a good day for all of us to enjoy. This is my family’s way of enjoying the holidays. Sometimes if the snow is not too bad, or if the weather is just right, we go to look at all of the beautifully decorated houses with the Christmas lights. 

     What holidays do Muslims celebrate then? We have our own celebrations that mean a lot to us. We have two major holidays, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha. These two holidays mean so much to me, just like Christmas is to anyone who celebrates Christmas. Eid al-Fitr is a huge celebration, based on our lunar calendar. So, the date is different every year. Who knows, in a couple of years, it’ll be on Christmas!

     In Islam, we fast – basically to not eat for thirty days from sunrise to sunset. Eid al-Fitr is what we celebrate after all those days of fasting. We pray, feast on food, and gather around with family and friends. Eid al-Adha is near the end of the last months in our calendar. It is the second most popular holiday in Islam. We also feast and have a great time on this day, but it’s for different religious reasons other than fasting.

     Most of the people that I’ve met ask me “Is it weird to not celebrate Christmas?” No, not at all. 

   Although I don’t celebrate Christmas religiously, I celebrate the beauty of Christmas and the kind spirit that everyone shares. Everyone can celebrate what they want, if it’s a small holiday or a big one. Although I don’t know the bigger meaning behind Christmas, it still doesn’t mean that I’m not well informed of it.

     Yeah, this might sound odd, but I don’t think it is. For me, it’s a day where my family has time to get together and spend the day.  Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but a lot of people love the atmosphere of Christmas. Tell me, how does your Christmas Day go?