For most of us, December 25th is the time where we sit by our trees, opening presents with either family, friends, moms and dads, just us, and maybe our annoying brothers and sisters.  Aren’t they all so lovely? The floor is littered with wrappings and presents. There are crumbs on the table from where the man in the red suit came to steal that plate of cookies. No wonder he’s got a little weight problem. Siblings are making future plans to steal your presents and make them their own. Sure, almost half the world celebrates Christ’s birth, but not all of us do.

From Christmas, to Kwanzaa, to Hanukkah, or maybe nothing specific, you must do something during the winter. According to Reference.com about 2 billion people celebrate Christmas around the world. Of those 2 billion, 9 out of 10 people celebrate Christmas in the United States.

Everyone on campus has seen him our security officer, Shariful Islam.  He celebrates his season by participating in the EID Festival. The EID Festival is an Islamic festival where people go in nice cloths and pray. It has a parade that takes place in downtown Anaheim. The event marks Eid al-Fitr which is an important religious holiday. It is celebrated by Muslims worldwide. Eid al-Fitr indicates the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

“Normally we do the EID Festival. It’s the Muslim month of Ramadan. We do the fasting and after 30 days we hold the EID Festival. We wear good cloth and go to the mosques early in the morning to pray to God,” said Islam.

Other people donate to those in need. You’ve probably heard of the foundation Toys for Tots. Their main focus is to give toys to children. Sure it may sound normal, but the kids that receive these toys to are less fortunate and can’t afford them. The non-profit wants minors like these to experience the joy of Christmas. There are other similar charities that have people donate food, clothes, or money year-round.

“Sometimes, we pack clothes in boxes and take them to my family in Guatemala. Sometimes, we put food in boxes and take them to the homeless.” said Mikayala R.

Many people in the world celebrate Christmas, making sure to include the classic tradition of having a tree and exchanging presents. There are also those small cardboard doors to pop open on the advent calendar.

“We have this little house and we open the doors. Behind every door there’s this little ornament that counts down the days until Christmas.” said Zachary G.

We all do things differently, but the season is definitely a time for rest, piles of food, a little crazy family time, and some thinking about about faith and life. It’s a time to settle down with some hot chocolate and marshmallows, and think about why you celebrate the season.