Celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas

New friends, colleagues and acquaintances ask if I celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. The old group of friends, colleagues and acquaintances know what I do--but the new guys don't. They are always careful when asking this question, even though I have a very casual and laid back attitude. (My theory is let people ask any question as long as their intent is to really learn about a new culture or religion.) So, I thought of YOU the reader as well.

Now, just like any other religion out there--you have extremes of everything. What I mean is you have those who don't practice just carry the title, those who do practice and are considered the "moderates", and those who go for the strictest interpretations and ideas. I want to point out that I don't represent everyone as a Muslim because you will find different ideas and theories on different subjects--just like every in every culture and religion.

So, let's talk about Thanksgiving. Although, originally it was to give thanks to God for the pilgrims' survival successes--today, it is a time for family and friends to get together for fun. Some Americans don't even cook turkey or ham on the fourth Thursday of November. My family sometimes cook and don't depending if people have time or are in the mood. But to tell you the truth, I don't know one single American who actually celebrates this day for its original purpose. Sometimes this holiday gets overlooked by Halloween and jumps right into Christmas.

Christmas isn't foreign to us Muslims. Many Muslims, in other countries, have lived with Christians side by side for centuries, so they both know each other's cultures and expectations. Everyone knows that Christmas is commercialized, and that to find the true meaning of Christmas you would have to dig between commercials, decorations and the food. Then you have some Christian Americans who point out that Christmas has pagan origins, and so it should be celebrated around late fall.

Some households put up extravagant Christmas decorations causing their electric bill to be hundreds of dollars (some actually have in the thousands--depending on how large the home is and how much decorations) in one month. Christmas music is constantly played for two months.

Most Muslim Americans, to my knowledge, do not celebrate for Christmas. However, some do tell their neighbors or colleagues "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays", and exchange gifts or cards. Others may not tell their neighbors or colleagues. I know some Muslims, including myself, like the Christmas atmosphere because it is happy-like. Some Muslims even say it reminds them of the atmosphere of Ramadan (where we fast for about 29 or 30 days).

I don't go out of my way to tell people "Merry Christmas", however, if I do see them for whatever reason, I do mention it to them because I think it is the right thing to do, an etiquette thing. You remember them, and chances are they remember you.

More Americans are starting to know more about Islam and its details, yet there is a long way to go--however it is a great start! I would be interested in knowing what you do for Thanksgiving and Christmas. How do you as Muslims or non Muslims handle those who do or don't celebrate what you celebrate?