holidays

Happy Holidays!

~ Yasmin ~ 13 Comments

Hey Everyone!

Hope you’re all doing well!

I just wanted to wish each and every one of you a very happy holidays! May these holidays be a time of joy and laughter for you and all of your loved ones!

Everyone has slightly different holiday traditions and I would love to read about any special traditions that you may have so please feel free to comment them below!

My family and I do not celebrate Christmas but we still appreciate the extra time off from work and school during this time of the year and we usually have at least one family gathering where we gather to share a meal and some laughter!

During this time of the year many of the local homeowners decorate and light up their homes and one of my pastimes during this time of the year is to go for a walk and look at all of the lights and festive decorations.

I have to admit that my absolute favorite pastime during this time of the year is watching Christmas movies . I just love the light hearted and often cheesy romantic movies. I have to admit that this year my favorite was the Princess Switch.

Once again, I wish you all a Happy Holidays!

With Love,

Yasmin

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Happy 4th of July!

~ Yasmin ~ 13 Comments

sparkler-839806_640Hey Everyone!

Hope you’re all doing well!

To everyone here in the U.S. happy 4th of July.

To those of you who may be unfamiliar, the 4th of July is a holiday that celebrates America’s independence from Great Britain.

Admittedly, in this political environment it is difficult to be a proud American.

I, like many of my fellow Americans, am absolutely outraged and disgusted by our government’s decision to separate children from their parents at our southern border. Without a doubt, this was an inhumane and cruel decision.

I am also deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a travel ban which prohibits immigrants from seven countries, one of which is Syria. This is especially disappointing considering the fact that the Syrian refugee crisis is one of the worst humanitarian crises of our times.

Despite all of this negativity, I have immense faith in the goodwill of the American people.

As an example, when the first travel ban was initiated, many Americans went to the international airports to protest this unfair travel ban. Some American women even wore headscarves in solidarity with the Muslim women who were affected by this ban. Also, many lawyers left their lucrative jobs, for many days, to go to the airports to help those who were impacted by this ban.

More recently, thousands of Americans all over the U.S. protested against the government’s decision to separate immigrant children from their parents at our southern border. These protests and condemnation had a role in forcing the president to reverse his child separation policy. I am hopeful that these protests will continue because those children that have already been separated must be reunited with their parents as soon as possible!

To my fellow Americans, one of the only ways that we can stop some of these injustices is to go out and vote in the upcoming November midterm election. I know that our current political environment is especially dark but we should never lose hope.

There was a time, not all that long ago, that America graciously welcomed refugees from all over the world. Thirty years ago, my parents left the war in Afghanistan and they each came to America with very few possessions and barely any money. They both worked very hard to establish a basic life for themselves. They then met each other and got married. After marriage they worked very hard together in order to provide a comfortable life for their children.

Their story is just one of millions of similar stories. I am truly hopeful that with the help of the younger generation, the United States will once again become a beacon of hope and a place of refuge for those that are in need of it.

I am hopeful that one day we will elect a government that actually works for the well-being of all of the American people and not just those that are extremely wealthy and also has compassion for those suffering outside of America’s borders!

 

With Love,

Yasmin

 

 

 

Christmas 20 Questions Tag

~ Yasmin ~ 7 Comments

christmas-2947257_640Hey Everyone,

Hope you’re all doing well!

I would like to thank my very sweet blogger friend Kate from the lovely blog Becoming Rivera for tagging me in her 20 Christmas Tag Questions post. If you haven’t already, make sure to visit her lovely blog and show her some love!

I am so excited that she tagged me because even though I don’t celebrate Christmas, I still love the holiday season and all the festivities that occur during this time of the year.

I personally celebrate Eid which is a Muslim holiday that occurs twice a year and each Eid celebration lasts for three days. Because Muslims follow the lunar calendar each year the day that Eid starts varies a little.

The first Eid is immediately after the month of Ramadan, in which Muslims fast and don’t eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. The second Eid is around two and a half months later and it is a celebration to commemorate the Hajj pilgrimage. For this year, both the Eid holidays have already passed.

Since Christmas is coming up I will answer each of the 20 questions from my perspective on Christmas and if I have anything to share about Eid I will share that as well.

1. Use one noise to describe how excited you are for Christmas?

For me personally, the sound of Jingle bells is associated with Christmas and whenever I hear a song that relates to Jingle Bells I know that Christmas is coming soon!

2. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

Even if I did celebrate Christmas I think I would probably never open any presents on Christmas Eve, because I think that one of the many things that makes Christmas special are the presents and gift exchanges.

Eid: In my family the adults don’t exchange gifts during Eid but they do shower the children with gifts and as a child I remember that my Eid gifts were always given on the first day of Eid.

3. What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?

What I love about Christmas is that all of my family members including my aunts and cousins are off from work so we have a chance to meet up and spend some much needed family time.

Eid: Whenever possible I love to spend time with my extended family during Eid. However, here in the U.S. sometimes this is difficult because if Eid comes in the middle of the week then its hard to request a day off from work and so sometimes not everyone is able to make it to the gathering. Sometimes if it does come during the week we try to celebrate it the following weekend.

I have to mention, that one of the things that I love about the Eid after Ramadan is that I get to eat again after a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset!

4. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

I feel like I am the type of person that would use a fake Christmas tree just because I assume that this would be the cheaper option and maybe if its small enough I could keep it and use it again next year.

5. What is your favorite Christmas movie?

To be honest I don’t have one in particular that I would consider to be my favorite. But in general I do love watching Christmas movies because most of them are wholesome and family friendly which I think is great. This year, I have had some more free time so I have really been enjoying watching a number of different Christmas movies including Netflix’s A Christmas Prince.

6. Where do you usually spend your holidays?

Our holidays are always spent with the extended family. Most often we meet at either our house or my grandmothers house.

7. What is your favorite Christmas song?

Definitely Feliz Navidad

8. What is your all time favorite holiday food/sweet treat?

Any type of cookie. They used to call me the cookie monster when I was a kid. I like to enjoy a cookie with a cup of warm green tea.

9. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers?

No its been such a long time since I’ve heard their names.

10. Be honest, do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts?

To be completely honest, I do like receiving gifts a little bit more. But its just because I think that giving a gift is something that takes some thoughtful thinking like I am always at least a little worried about whether the person is going to like my gift or not.

Of course, when giving gifts it is the thought that counts.

11. What is your favorite thing about Christmas?

I love the fact that during Christmas time there is a positive vibe and I love that the mood is often very festive and joyous. I think that the same is true for Eid. And of course, I love that we get to spend time with the extended family.

12. When do you first get excited for Christmas?

I get excited for the holiday season when I start seeing Christmas decorations at my local stores.

Eid: During the last few days of Ramadan I get excited for the Eid festival.

13. What is the best Christmas gift that you have ever received?

One time a friend gave me some creams, lotions and body spray from Bath & Body Works and it came with an adorable tote bag.

Eid: In my culture most children are given cash for Eid and as a child I was given my fair share of cash. However, one year an uncle gifted me a huge stuffed animal and that became my favorite Eid gift because not only was it unique but it was very cute and soft as well.

14. Are you a pro present wrapper or do you fail miserably?

I definitely am not a pro and to be honest I am quite lazy so I leave the wrapping to my mom who is definitely a pro.

15. As a kid, did a sibling ever receive a present that you wished was for you?

Thank God no this has never happened because I have two brothers who are a lot younger than me and our tastes are very different.

16. What would your dream place be to visit during the holiday season?

I have always lived in sunny southern California so I’ve never experienced the snow so I would really like to visit somewhere where I can see some snow!

17. Most memorable holiday moment?

One time during Eid my family had just finished eating and we sat and turned on the TV and we saw that there was a live concert of our favorite musician playing on the TV. It was exciting and very fun to watch a free concert in the comfort of our own home!

18. Do you make New Years Resolutions ? Do you stick to them?

I do but I usually just think about what things I want to change and/or improve but I get lazy and I don’t write them down so I often forget about them. However, I am working towards setting reasonable goals and hopefully this year I achieve some of them!

19. What makes the holidays special for you?

Without sounding too cliché I really do love all of the extra family time. I also love the lights and beautiful Christmas decorations and of course, the delicious food and sweet treats are definitely among my favorite things about the holidays.

20. You have been granted one Christmas wish…what will it be?

My beloved father has had some health issues this year and I hope that he regains his health.

I would like to tag any other blogger who sees this to complete their own Christmas 20 questions tag if they’re interested. I had a lot of fun completing this tag and I think these types of posts definitely help readers learn a little bit more about the blogger behind the blog.

With Love,

Yasmin