What Christmas Looks Like in our Muslim Household
Hi Friends,
I’m writing this on December 25th, at the kitchen table in my in-laws’ house in the Greater Toronto Area. For years now, our Christmas tradition has been to come to Toronto to spend the break with my husband’s family. We did this as newly-weds, pre-children, and continued to do it when our first and then second son were born. The boys have grown up with this winter tradition, in spite of the fact that we don’t celebrate Christmas.
So, what does Christmas look like in this Muslim household? Pretty much like a special time for family to spend together, with delicious food and company and some slowing down and nesting. Life is busy! Even though December 25th is not a momentous day for us, we live in Canada, where most people do celebrate, so the season is hectic leading into the break. Office Christmas lunches happen. School concerts are performed. We’re one year away from having a high school student in the house and that likely means December exams. All to say, by the time we get to the two weeks off from school at the end of the year, we are all ready for some time to relax and refuel.
In the years that the boys were young and demanding, when my frazzled brain couldn’t handle writing or reading, the Christmas break was the only time I could actually open a book and get the whole way through it. Then there are the boardgames. My husband’s family loves to play big boardgames, and the boys were initiated young, so now there are always one or two big boardgame sit downs while we’re all on vacation. Risk is a hit. Settlers of Catan is another. Last year we got into puzzles and spent many hours huddled over the dining room table working on two of them. It was uplifting and frustrating and joyful and mind clearing in a wonderful way. We’ve got plans to do more of them during this break.
And then there are the Christmas movies. Our go-to is Home Alone, but we’re planning to introduce the kids to that quintessential Will Ferrell classic, Elf.
This year, we’re coordinating the fact that my brother-in-law’s puppy and our rabbit are cohabitating while we all stay here together. Bilbo the rabbit lives upstairs. Jean-Luc (for Jean-Luc Picard) lives downstairs. They take turns on the first floor so Jean-Luc doesn’t take Bilbo for a chew toy and Bilbo doesn’t have a panic attack when she sees the excitable golden doodle pouncing at her.
