Can Muslims Celebrate Christmas?

Scholars of Islam, as-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatu Allah.

During the Christmas season, Christians all over the country illuminate their houses with lights, put up Christmas trees, and exchange gifts. TV is full of jingle bells and all the stores are decorated for Christmas. All this is very tempting to small children; children love putting up lights and decorating for holidays.Some Muslim families also put up Christmas trees and lights to keep their children happy. They argue that Christmas is, after all, Prophet Jesus’ birthday and there is no harm in celebrating Christmas as long as children are happy.When our children started talking a few years back they started asking why we do not put up lights and trees during Christmas. I explained to them that we are Muslims and we don’t celebrate Christmas; we celebrate `Eids. To keep our children happy and to get them excited about `Eid, we started putting up lights (green and white) around the house and decorating inside the house during Ramadan until after `Eidul-Fitr and during `Eidul-Adha. We exchange gifts with our Muslims friends on both `Eids. Alhamdulillah, our children now wait for `Eid, not for Christmas.What is the Islamic position on these issues? Can we celebrate Christmas? Is it OK to put up lights during Ramadan and `Eid?

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