Twitter: Mohammad Hussain

Man Celebrating His First-Ever Christmas Has Some Observations To Share

Christmas is such an overwhelming cultural phenomenon in most Western countries, it’s hard to imagine anyone not picking up on the basics of the holiday, even if they don’t observe it.

A Canadian man named Mohammad Hussain claims on Twitter that this is essentially his first Christmas. His family is Muslim and obviously don’t celebrate it and he generally goes to see his family over the Christmas break.

This year, COVID-19 is keeping him with his roommates, who are going whole hog on celebrating.

Hussain seems to have approached this Christmas from an anthropological standpoint, becoming the Jane Goodall of his apartment. He started sharing his observations about the ceremonial trappings and traditions he never noticed before on Twitter:

First, he noted how much work it is to make the whole thing come together. It’s not just a tree in a stand and some wrapped gifts. It’s work to make everything happen:

He noted how much of what people eat on Christmas is attached to childhood memories:


And how illogical who can buy what is, especially in regards to stockings and budget:

The cost of ornaments and their significance shocked him:


Religion is optional! One of the big wins for Christmas, in Hussain’s opinion:

And once again, feelings about food are complicated:


“To wrap things up I want to applaud longtime Christmas celebrators,” he concluded. “This is a lot of work and very tiring. I will say I am having a very pleasant time. I am learning that I enjoy Christmas music and gift purchasing. I am also learning that I do not enjoy peppermint.”

People really appreciated Hussain’s objective view of something they were in too deep to see. It inspired some of their own thoughts on the holiday (and their favorite ornaments):

https://twitter.com/Colie_Braun/status/1340528128289099781

https://twitter.com/werdup3/status/1340523478395412481

Sometimes it takes someone from the outside to make you appreciate the inside anew.

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