Is it Christmas?

I know it probably sounds weird coming from me, (a Muslim) but Christmas, is my favorite holiday season; it’s always festive and full of cheer.
This year however, it seems to be lacking a certain ingredient from my point of view.
Past Christmases there was the excitement, bustling of Christmas shopping, the bundling up to keep warm and the malls and quite a few stores would be decorated in anticipation for the holiday. If I hadn’t gone to two Christmas Bazaars, then I doubt I would have even noticed the holiday was upon us.
I think part of the reason why I haven’t felt like it was Christmas, is because the weather unlike parts of Europe and North America is still fairly warm and it doesn’t give off the Christmas card vibe. There are less and less malls and stores decorating their windows and halls as they used to. More and more Muslim radicals are making those who’s birth right it is to celebrate the birth of Christ feel uncomfortable celebrating it proudly. I was saddened by the news that Christian Iraqi’s weren’t going to have their Christmas service and were told to keep a low profile. To add the sadness, on Christmas Eve in Nigeria a Muslim sect killed at least 38 people for celebrating Christmas.
*Shaking my head in disbelief, whilst thinking to myself, “What is the world and its inhabitants coming to? No wonder the world have such a bad image of us and think we are all terrorists!! These buffoons are ruining and mis-interpreting the teachings of our religion and twisting it in their favor to bring harm on to others. When our religion teaches us acceptance and tolerance and to treat everyone human with the respect that they deserve)
 Living alone also subtracts from the mood, but to try and rectify it, I went and bough some Christmas decorations for my house to give it more of a Christmassy feeling. The main reason I think is that the school I work at doesn’t celebrate it, so there weren’t any holiday cards being made or carols being sung.
With all the negativity that seems to be looming and surrounding the occasion, I still love the spirit of the holiday. I love the greetings and well wishes that are sent by post, e-mail, text and facebook. I love seeing people wearing the colors of the season and smiling and children getting excited!
Now that I am home with my family and I see the decorations, exchanged gift that had been placed under the tree, helped my mother in the kitchen cook Christmas Dinner, baked the mince pies and sat around the table enjoying each other’s company and the delicious meal, it is beginning to feel a lot more like Christmas!
My prayers go out to those whose flights were grounded and were stuck in an airport unable to make it home in time, those who live in a country of turmoil and conflict.
My Christmas wish to everyone for the coming year, (as cliché as it might sound and be) is health, happiness and peace.

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