Am I the only one that has a hard time fitting in anything special because we are so busy with our routine? It’s tough! I want to keep our forward momentum, but I don’t want to miss out on special days either.

Since we are living in the West where Islamic holidays are not advertised on TV, special toys are not displayed at local stores, the local schools do not have time off, and otherwise there is no indication of anything special, we have to make the time to make it special! I’ve found for many families, Hajj season is especially difficult because there’s no physical indication (fasting) of the coming holiday, or any indication of Hajj starting beyond the stream of Facebook posts. There’s got to be something better!

It seems we put so much time and effort into Ramadan and Eid, we are all Eid-ed out and don’t have the energy to gear up again and make it equally as festive. Eid al-Adha is supposed to be the big Eid! In American terms, it’s like Christmas coming before Thanksgiving. If that were the case, I imagine Thanksgiving would be a much smaller event than it currently is in most homes.

Even myself – I’m guilty of making Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr a big deal on the blog, but don’t have the energy and creative mindset to get much ready for Hajj season. So what’s the solution?

The best solution I’ve found is to prepare for both Eids at the same time.

Start a month before Ramadan and as you’re getting excited for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, get activities and plans prepped for Hajj and Eid al-Adha while you’re at it! Plan out your Eid week for school months in advance and move all the other subjects aside (as much as possible), or integrate them!

If your home is anything like mine, it feels more like, “Oh, it’s Eid week. Let’s do this craft/watch this movie/read this book. K? K. Check, done.” There isn’t a magic to it, and it feels like a disturbance to the routine rather than a fun break or fun enrichment activity. There has to be something better!

Parents, make sure you are enriching your Ramadan/Hajj/Eid with added fun and enrichment also! Watch/listen to a lecture, read a book, watch a movie, spend extra time at the masjid. Don’t let it pass you by as just another day. Allah made these days special for us! Take advantage, in sha Allah! Break your routine for Eid.