A Holly Jolly Eid
<span>Should American Muslims embrace holiday commercialism? Seasonal marketing can help foster social belonging without distracting from the festival’s true meaning.</span>
Growing up, the Eid holidays were absolutely magical for me. My parents would decorate the house with glimmering lights, and my siblings and I would gather around the dining room table to cut out paper and foil decorations—a mixture of European and Arab holiday traditions. As we grew older, we started a new tradition, filling hundreds of gift bags with candy and toys the night before Eid to hand out to kids the next morning at our mosque. We were imbued with the understanding that, even if we were part of a religious minority here in America, we were entitled to the same gifts and treats as those who celebrated Christmas.
There are two holidays every year: Eid
