Muslims and Christmas
It’s coming up to that time of year again – gifts, parties and traditions for some and dilemmas for others: Christmas. Every year, Christmas for me brings a set of challenges – do I capitulate and join in or do I hold my ground.
It’s coming up to that time of year again – gifts, parties and traditions for some and dilemmas for others: Christmas. Every year, Christmas for me brings a set of challenges – do I capitulate and join in or do I hold my ground. This year the first came up when my daughter came home with a letter asking us to tick boxes to choose her Christmas lunch (including non-halal turkey and halal chicken options). It’s still sitting at home. A few days later my son came home with three pages of Christmas carol lyrics and a note saying “Please help your child learn these songs”. So far I have conveniently forgotten all about it, but saw Little Lady sitting trying to help him read them out and sing them.
Today at work, we also have to give our names in for the “Secret Santa” game and put down the deposit for the Christmas lunch. I used to join in at the periphery, play Secret Santa for a laugh, go to the Christmas lunch as long as it is during work time. Today had a little think about this, but not much – I am just going to have some backbone and say NO to anything to do with Christmas. It helps that my colleague who is a religious Christian (Seventh Day Adventist) has warned everyone, in the kindest of words, not to mention Christmas anywhere near her.
As a child, my dad was very clear that we will have nothing to do with this celebration – no part in the nativity play or school choir or Christmas lunch, although we still loved the school Christmas party and Christmas telly.
My only concern is for my daughter feeling left-out. I suppose that is one of the benefits of Islamic schools: that you don’t have to deal with these kinds of issues. It helps that Eid-ul-Adha is also in November and I can remind my children that we have already had our own “celebration” first. She has been pleading with me to let her take a packed lunch, so I will give her one for the day of the Christmas lunch, and if she wants to learn the carol lyrics – she is welcome to try (I can just imagine her singing Jingle Bells in a full assembly hall to her own made-up tune – she is very loud!).
There are some benefits for us at this time of year: winter sales, a week off from work and the Dr Who Christmas Special without, but the challenges feel bigger, especially when it comes to your children.
By Umm Salihah ( Deputy editor)
Hi, I’m Umm Salihah and I am mum to three dirty-faced angels (Little Lady - 7, Little Man - 5, Gorgeous - 3 years). I write for www.happymuslimah.com which I began in order to share my experiences as a Muslimah working mother and to learn from other sisters about how they manage the different aspects of their lives without compromising their faith. I also blog at www.positivemuslimah.com because I believe we need to share more of our positive stories.
I read Psychology at university and then went on to work for the public sector for the next 10 years, first in central government and now in local government because I wanted to contribute to the community I had grown up in insh’Allah. My passions include crafts (cards, banners and jewellery), books, bargain-hunting, writing, dawah and the English countryside.
You can contact me at umm_salihah@yahoo.co.uk
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