Christmas in MENA in the USA

[Tunisia216 2]

You don't know that you're going to be alone for Christmas. I'm hoping and praying that you won't be You've got lots of MENA mojo behind you!!!

Our Christmas season won't end until January 6 on the Epiphany or Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (the Three Kings). We'll celebrate that too by putting our shoes filled with hay (aka grass) underneath the tree with water on the side for the three kings' camels, and we'll leave sweets for the kings. To thank us for this gesture, the kings leave us gifts in our shoes. It is all very sweet, and I can't wait till someday we have our little one and can do this for him/her and watch get all excited. We'll have a nice meal that evening and just enjoy the end of our holy days.

Same here, Staashi! We celebrate Dia de los Reyes too. Same tradition, except we leave the hay for the camels under our bed...lol. Well, when I was little Now, I open my door and my mom (or ahem, Three Kings) leaves me a gift there on my doorstep

I'm alone again for Christmas...I've seen lots of ideas for a new tree I'd like to decorate but next Christmas when he's here with me! I told my mom I wanted a Moroccan Christmas tree! She said, "Um...there's something wrong with that picture" Um HELLO, the Nativity scene has camels and desert! I told hubby too and he said sure we can have a Moroccan Christmas tree, but it has to be a palm tree, not evergreen tree, and we have to hang olives from it

[doodlebugg 10]

I told hubby too and he said sure we can have a Moroccan Christmas tree, but it has to be a palm tree, not evergreen tree, and we have to hang olives from it

Actually that sounds really cool!!!

[star_dragon 0]

I know right?? I'm thinking about it

Thanks Ash

[Nothing1234 2]

We are going all out too. I was considering just a small table top tree and then Jihed found a massive 7 foot pre lit tree at Walmart that he HAD to have. Last week he spent what I know was a good hour in the Christmas Shoppe at Walmart. His eyes were twinkling more than the trees It looks like he's going to have to work Thanksgiving, but I'm hoping that the store will be closed for Christmas and that he'll get the day off. Last night I caught him helping Aaron make a "Santa list" It was really cute because Aaron was asking how to spell this and that and one of the things on his list was light saber. Saber is a name in Tunisia and it's pronounced "Sah Burr" not "sayber" like the Star Wars thing - so they were going on and on about that trying to figure out how to spell it. It was cute. I think that my kid is really taking advantage of this multi-family thing as he's now made a Santa list at his father's home, my home, my parents and his father's parents. 4 Lists and none of them are the same

We will probably put our tree up after Thanksgiving (that weekend I think ) and start to decorate it and the house during the following week. He's dying to take a lot of pictures to send back home to his family. They usually put up a small Christmas tree there anyway and he's excited to show them how "big" Christmas gets here. We're also planning a trip to NYC so that he can see the tree at Rockefeller Center. I think they said it's 72 or 73 feet tall this year! I'm excited It's really a nice time to blend cultures, religions and traditions like Annie said! PS Annie you better take lots of pictures for me!! I can't wait to see Hazem and Mamma's face

Anything for you babes! But you know the picture freak my hubby is so its all covered. I'm sure I will be annoyed from all the videos and pictures before Christmas Day even hits!

[Imua 0]

Eat halal chinese food and watch a movie. We're grinches.

Substitute 'kosher' and that sounds like what a lot of Jews in NY do....

[PlatyPius 5]

Not Muslim. Not Christian.

Yes, we'll have a Yule/Xmas tree. We will never, never, NEVER have a murdered tree. I've had a live one once before. It's planted in the yard and is about 15 feet high now. We use a fake tree. The cats haven't been much of an issue. They bat a few of the lower-hanging ornaments around occasionally, but that's about it. I've never had fake snow underneath a tree, so I don't know how that would work. I have a tree skirt. I haven't seen any suspicious stains on it yet....

[Staashi 371]

Not Muslim. Not Christian.

Yes, we'll have a Yule/Xmas tree. We will never, never, NEVER have a murdered tree. I've had a live one once before. It's planted in the yard and is about 15 feet high now. We use a fake tree. The cats haven't been much of an issue. They bat a few of the lower-hanging ornaments around occasionally, but that's about it. I've never had fake snow underneath a tree, so I don't know how that would work. I have a tree skirt. I haven't seen any suspicious stains on it yet....

Platy - are you all having Festivus!!!! It's Festivus for the rest of us! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus

[star_dragon 0]

Oh that's from Seinfeld?? For some reason I thought it was from a Mel Brooks movie....LOL