These are the days of Eid

Assalaamu alaykum

Every year when the Eid time is approaching... I haunted by.. you know by what?
X-mas memories.
As a revert I carry a baggage where the non-Islamic past (such as holidays) and emotions and memories are making a heavy stone that brings down my Eid Spirit. Yes it does!

I wonder if there will be a day when I am totally free of making comparisons between X-mas and the Eid. I still often feel very sad on the Eid as I cannot really catch the spirit. The society around really does not help, as it did not live Ramadan and will not celebrate the Eid with us.

But the thing is... a child that was born Muslim... he has no memories of being loaded with chocolate on the X-mas eve. No memories of endless X-mas cartoons and movies. No memories of scents, traditional holiday meals. No memories of aunts and grannies coming over. He has never tasted X-mas.

I may not ever really grow to love Eid on the emotional level (though I hope I will, with the help of Allah) but I can create traditions that will define Eid for my own little crew.
It doesn't have to be anything BIG (like X-mas traditions usually are not either) but it needs to be something, that introduces one to the spirit of the eid; welcomes to the celebration after the long month of fasting. Something that makes one feel warm and happy.

And even if we would not fully enjoy the Eid preparations and would never really grow to be very fond of the Eid itself (on a deep, emotional level that is not build only about our current values and beliefs, but where our whole life is present with all the memories) I am sure that our children will learn to love our two Eids and once grown up, married and introduced to parenthood, they just might turn on the anasheed You always did, to eat the dish You always made for them... That they will smell and taste the Eid the way we used to know X-mas.

My son, he is sleeping his Eid Morning gift so close he can reach it in a nanosecond when he wakes up. I ask Allah to bless him and all of us, with a beautiful Eid full of joy and happiness.

Eid Mubarak for each and everyone.