Bismihi Ta’ala
*NOT PERMISSIBLE TO SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS NOR EXCHANGE GIFTS.*
*Wikipedia encyclopedia writes: Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year…**Since Christmas is a christian feast, it is not permissible for muslims to celebrate Christmas, nor exchange gifts and no saying Merry Christmas.*
*Reported in Tirmizi shareef that Rasouloullah swalallahou alaihi wasallam said: “The one who imitate other nation is not from us. Do not imitate jews or christians. The salutation of the jews is with fingers and the salutation of christians is to raise palm.”*
حَدَّثَنا قُتَيْبَةُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنْ أبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، أنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قالَ: «لَيْسَ مِنّا مَن تَشَبَّهَ بِغَيْرِنا، لا تَشَبَّهُوا بِاليَهُودِ ولا بِالنَّصارى، فَإنَّ تَسْلِيمَ اليَهُودِ الإشارَةُ بِالأصابِعِ، وتَسْلِيمَ النَّصارى الإشارَةُ بِالأكُفِّ»هُ
*The exchanging of gifts 
on the happiness of Christmas is a Christian ritual and tradition. We live in an international comity and even if you are on the far west does not halalize what islam has made haraam.**In fact, Islam has prohibited anything attached to any ritual. Not permissible for muslim women to wear jewelry that are made from metals like copper that normally used to make idols; not permissible to wear safron colour cloth due to its particularity to the fact that hindu pandits weari them; not permissible to put Quran in from of us during salaah because it resembles ahle kitaab; not permissible to grow moustache and shave beard due to other religions do so; rasouloullah swalallahou alaihi wasallam ordered us to differ from jews on ashoura by adding one day of fast before or after ashoura;
Since the jews used to fast on day of ashura (Bukhari), then Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam prescribed purposely to differentiate from them by fasting one more day either 9th or 10th.(Tirmizi)
سنن الترمذي – ()وَرُوِيَ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ صُومُوا التَّاسِعَ وَالْعَاشِرَ وَخَالِفُوا الْيَهُودَصحيح البخاري – ()قيس بن مسلم عن طارق بن شهاب عن أبي موسى رضي الله عنه قالدخل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم المدينة وإذا أناس من اليهود يعظمون عاشوراء ويصومونه فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم نحن أحق بصومه فأمر بصومه
So Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam told us to oppose the jews and to add a fast either 9th and 10th or 10th and 11th Muharram. Makrooh Tanzihi to fast alone 10th of Muharram, although rewarded.صحيح البخاري
– (11 / 278)عن ابن شهاب قال قال أبو سلمة بن عبد الرحمن إن أبا هريرة رضي الله عنه قال إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إن اليهود والنصارى لا يصبغون فخالفوهم
Rasouloullah Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam said: ‘’The jews and the Christians does not colour their hair/beard. So oppose them(by colouring your hair/beard).’’BukhariIn the fiqh of colouring hair, one not allowed to use black and fancy colours. Mehendi is recommended. Else permissible brown, dark brown and natural hair colours. Looking at other ahadiths, we find that when completely white, then Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam used to recommend colouring of hair and beard. See all in Ibn Majah.
صحيح مسلم – ()أَخْبَرَنِي الْعَلَاءُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ مَوْلَى الْحُرَقَةِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جُزُّوا الشَّوَارِبَ وَأَرْخُوا اللِّحَى خَالِفُوا الْمَجُوسَ
Rasouloullah Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam said: ‘’Cut the moustache short, leave the beard grow in opposition of Majoos/Iranians.’’(Sahih Muslim)It is important for you to know that it is wajib and compulsory to keep beard so long until the length of a fist.
سنن أبى داود – ()عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رُكَانَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِأَنَّ رُكَانَةَ صَارَعَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَصَرَعَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ رُكَانَةُ وَسَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ فَرْقُ مَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ الْعَمَائِمُ عَلَى الْقَلَانِسِ
Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam said: ‘’The emblematic differentiating figure appearance between us and the polytheists is that our Imaamahs are on Topis.’’(Abu Dawood)
والإعْطاءُ بِاسْمِ النَّيْرُوزِ والمِهْرَجانِ لا يَجُوزُ) أيْ الهَدايا بِاسْمِ هَذَيْنِ اليَوْمَيْنِ حَرامٌ (وإنْ قَصَدَ تَعْظِيمَهُ) كَما يُعَظِّمُهُ المُشْرِكُونَ (يَكْفُرُ) قالَ أبُو حَفْصٍ الكَبِيرُ: لَوْ أنَّ رَجُلًا عَبَدَ اللَّهَ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً ثُمَّ أهْدى لِمُشْرِكٍ يَوْمَ النَّيْرُوزِ بَيْضَةً يُرِيدُ تَعْظِيمَ اليَوْمِ فَقَدْ كَفَرَ وحَبِطَ عَمَلُهُ اهـ الدر المختار
In Shami, written that venerating a non muslim feast by exchanging gifts on that day equate to kufr.
So not permissible to venerate Christmas through exchanging of gifts nor by saying merry Christmas. The least, one may answer: “For you as well”, in french: “pareillement” or simply say “Happy holidays.”
Mufti Mackoojee