Yesterday, Reza and Amna gathered the extended family- 11 kids and 12 adults- at their house for an early Christmas gathering, as Mona and Sheema would be traveling on Christmas Day. We had agreed that we would only do kids gifts as they love it so much! When Shahid and I reached their house, the kids were already playing and having a great time even before the gifts were opened. We added ours to the mounds lying under the beautiful Christmas tree. We munched on appetizers while the men watched football, and just relaxed as families do on holidays relishing in family love and togetherness. Eventually we had a sumptuous Italian dinner with some Pakistani dishes on the side. And then finally, each family started to hand out their gifts to the kids. The joy on their faces was so precious, and it seemed that the anticipation of opening the gift was more thrilling than the gift itself! They would open one, enjoy it for a minute, and then open another one. We kept gathering the wrappings, and making sure each kid had their correct pile of gifts. There were big gifts and little gifts, noisy gifts and arts and crafts gifts, but what mattered was the ritual, not the gift itself. Even as we grow older, the anticipation of a trip or a gift or an event makes us very happy, but as soon as it is over, we lose that excitement. And of course, that is why all faiths warn about being consumed by our own needs and even greed, and help us raise our internal guard and nurture appreciation and gratitude.
Their town has a tradition of Santa coming to homes on a fire-truck and actually delivering gifts that parents have delivered to the fire house earlier. Well, sure enough after all the gifts had opened and we had had dessert, we heard the sirens of the fire truck. The scene was incredible – all adults and kids quickly bundled up to go outside on the driveway and wait for Santa in anticipation. The kid inside each of us came out, and we were all jumping and having a great time, each time we heard the siren from a neighboring street. When the fire truck finally arrived, it was an unbelievable scene- a fantasy come true for kids. The truck approached the house with loud sirens blaring. Then it stopped right in front of the driveway and Santa jumped out with a big bag of gifts. Then Santa sat down on the front steps and started calling out the names of the kids- mispronouncing some of them in the process! Literally every adult was recording on video the bustling scene as each kid went up to Santa, got their gift and handed it back to their parents. Even our little 6-month Nyla sat in Santa’s lap and was staring at him without any worry- just checking him out. We were so grateful for Amna who took the trouble to pack the gifts, Reza who delivered them to the firehouse, and for the whole thoughtfulness on their part, Mashallah. Of course, we were missing the other grandparents- Fauzia and Javaid – who were away abroad for a family wedding.
As we drove back later that night, I reflected back on my own childhood in Europe, where Christmas was widely celebrated. The celebrations started much earlier as there was Advent- the four weeks before Christmas- when candles are lit on a wreath and it relates to Christ’s first coming and second coming; in ancient Christianity there used to be forty days of fasting as well. As a Muslim family, my parents never stopped me from celebrating Christ’s birthday or even participating in the rituals around this holiday, as Jesus is a prophet in Islam. Most Christians are surprised when they hear how much Christ is revered in the Quran, and that he is mentioned 71 times. Even Prophet Muhammed is not mentioned as much. And Mary has a whole Sura dedicated to her. There are so many beliefs that are similar across our faiths, just as there are many across all three Abrahamic faiths which is why the current climate of hate seems so bizarre, and quite the opposite of what the prophets were aiming for.
I think it is wonderful to celebrate each other’s holidays in a multicultural society. I appreciate that some Christians and Jews participate in our holidays, such as Ramadan. In fact, I was pleased to hear that in the health coaching industry, intermittent fasting has become the rage! And while we also have a month that celebrates Prophet Muhammed’s birthday, it is not as widely celebrated as Christmas of course, and as we use a lunar calendar, it moves around the calendar year. I take comfort in the fact that all prophets had the same message and wanted the same for humanity, and I pray that we remain judgment-free and compulsion-free when it comes to faith and religions, and rather get curious and share in the celebrations as it might bring all of us closer together as one united human race on Mother Earth.
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