Do You Celebrate Christmas?

This is a copy of my response to a post on the AskMoxie blog about Celebrating Holidays Cross-Religion

“I am the mother of 3 fabulous Muslim children. I was raised in a Lutheran home, we attended church intermittently, but were always there for the holidays. During College, I attended a Presbyterian Church.

I am a Christian Mother of Muslim Children who celebrate Christmas and Easter.

We celebrate Christmas because it is the birth of the Prophet Jesus, and because my family are all Christian. We celebrate the spirit of giving, of family time and of the wonder and magic that happens when you suspend disbelief and carry out the fantasy of Santa. We have a tree, we decorate our house, we have stockings and make cookies and gingerbread houses and we visit our family near and far.

I have friends who don’t think it’s acceptable for my children to participate in Christmas, Easter, Halloween or even Thanksgiving. They say that we are sending them mixed messages. I say that I am sharing with my children, part of who I am and my culture. My husband (who is the Muslim parent) is fully supportive, and enjoys celebrating these holidays with me.

I don’t think you have to be mutually exclusive to one religion when it comes to celebrating holidays. Especially in America where your neighbor may have a different religion than yours, it teaches tolerance and acceptance.”