Every year, as the holidays approach, the topic of celebrations ironically becomes a central point of arguments and frustration in many Muslim-American households.
Often times, there seems to be a generational divide. It’s not uncommon to see the elders of the family arguing that all celebrations, with the exception of the two Eids, are completely haram (illegal in Islam). They can’t fathom why their younger counterparts in the family are so adamant on celebrating holidays and occasions that they themselves have never even thought to do and many they haven’t even heard of when growing up. They feel anger and frustration as their arguments seemingly tend to fall on deaf ears.