Like millions of others this Christmas, Canadian political staffer Mohammad Hussain realised he wasn’t able to go home to be with his family this holiday season.
Instead, he’s stuck with his roommates celebrating the holiday and being a Muslim it’ll be his first time.
So he’s decided to share his own personal review on the holiday in the lead up to the much anticipated day for the world to read on Twitter and it’s perfect.
In less than a day he pulled in over 100,000 likes on his post.
Growing up, my Muslim family never celebrated Christmas. This year I am not going home, because pandemic, so my roommates are teaching me how to have my first proper Christmas.
— Mohammad Hussain (@MohammadHussain) December 19, 2020
I am approaching this with anthropological precision.
Here are a few observations. pic.twitter.com/1WARv5nax4
Observation #1 couldn’t have been more accurate, he labeled Christmas as a “part time job that you have from mid-November to the end of December.”
He then touched on the subject of food and the attitude individuals have towards what food you can only eat on Christmas day.
“If someone is insisting that *certain food* is what you have to eat Christmas morning, because that’s their family tradition, DO NOT SUGGEST ALTERNATIVES,” he said.
“They will stab you in the neck.”
Observation #3 was my personal favourite, Hussain’s realisation about Christmas stockings. He didn’t realise you can’t put stuff in your own Christmas stocking and was confused at this idea. I mean sure, treat yourself during Christmas, buy those shoes and add guacamole to your Zamberos while you’re Christmas shopping. But we all know you can’t be stuffing your own stocking. Hussain clearly did not, but he gives no f**ks:
“I don’t care. I bought myself mint Chapstick and I will fake surprise,” he added.
Moving on to the Christmas baubles, Hussain also discovered that ornaments are usually categorised into: fillers and keepers.
Fillers, he said, are the “generic” ornaments you buy in a pack and use to fill those empty spots in your tree.
Keepers, on the other hand, are the ones you have had for years, there are stories attached to them and they’re passed down through generations until they are unfortunately broken in the packing down stage on January 2 (or mid February in my case last year).
In observation #7 Hussain realised that the religious aspect of Christmas is optional, while some celebrate Christmas because it’s the day Jesus Christ was born, others celebrate it because it’s a time to get together and a good excuse to buy presents and eat a bunch of prawns.
“If I was to suggest having a secular Ramadan to my mother she would have a heart attack,” he added.
“I will however be trying to get my family to do a Secret Santa for Eid. The name’s being workshopped.”
“To wrap things up I want to applaud longtime Christmas celebrators. This is a lot of work and very tiring,” Hussain said.
“I will say I am having a very pleasant time. I am learning that I enjoy Christmas music and gift purchasing. I am also learning that I do not enjoy peppermint.”
Well, Merry Christmas Mohammad, I hope your first and possibly your only Christmas is everything you want and more.