The Merry of Christmas

I went home to Mom’s house for the Christmas Holiday. When my hubby and I married, we agreed to spend every other Christmas with my Mom because it is so important to her. I no longer buy gifts for anyone except my Mom and brother and more than anything, we enjoy the time together. My Mom is a bit sad about the fact that I no longer attend church with her, but she is just as happy to have us there.

I shudder at the thought that some Muslims might think that it is a sin to wish someone a Merry Christmas or to participate in the celebration with family or friends. The spiritual path is a very personal act between a person and God. Participating in a society as very important and one that requires tolerance. How can we be a religion of peace and not honor and respect the other paths? If we cannot tolerate Christians and Jewish traditions, than how could we “gori” wives ever expect to have the privilege of being married to our Pakistani husbands, etc.?

This year I said the words “Merry Christmas” with more spunk and confidence than my 30 years previous. Like Wayfarer, I want to live by positive example. I want to demonstrate acts of tolerance as a way of opening up hearts and minds and promoting peace. I want someone else to witness the beauty of Islam and consider a convergence.

I want not to alienate my friends and family. My mother has accepted a lot with my choices. She has felt great loneliness and fear in the amount of changes I have endured and the physical and mental distances that I have undergone. For the love of my mother and my family, I celebrate Christmas as a cultural practice that has a tremendous amount of meaning and importance.

Just as I have witnessed the importance of other holidays to other cultures, I am sure you can imagine the importance of gathering together once a year regardless of one’s religious convictions.

“Merry Christmas” means, “I love you”, “Have a blessed life”, “Let’s rejoice” “Let’s celebrate”, “Let’s praise God”, “Praise Jesus”, “Exchange of the materials of our hard work and ingenious invention is a blast”, “You deserve love no matter your religious or socioeconomic status and regardless of your poor choices”, and “Peace on Earth starts with each family”.

My in laws called from Pakistan just as we were sitting down for dinner and the phone went around with words of love and glee. That’s my Christmas.