Joining Christians in a gathering for a meal one month after Christmas

Praise
be to Allah.

Firstly: 

Allah, may He be exalted, has permitted us to eat from the food of the
people of the Book, whether we are invited by them, or they offer us food by
way of hospitality, or it is a gift, or other scenarios that may occur, or
according to people’s customs. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) accepted invitations from the Jews and ate their food 

But it is not permissible to do that by way of taking them as allies or
close friends or taking them as an inner circle. Allah, may He be exalted,
says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who
believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Awliya (friends,
protectors, helpers, etc.), they are but Awliya to one another. And if any
amongst you takes them as Awliya, then surely he is one of them. Verily,
Allah guides not those people who are the Zalimoon (polytheists and
wrongdoers and unjust)”

[al-Maa’idah 5:51]

“O you who
believe! Take not as (your) Bitanah (advisors, consultants, protectors,
helpers, friends, etc.) those outside your religion (pagans, Jews,
Christians, and hypocrites) since they will not fail to do their best to
corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared
from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed We
have made plain to you the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses) if you
understand”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:118]. 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: If a Muslim eats
with a Christian or other disbeliever, or drinks with him, is that regarded
as haraam? If that is regarded as haraam, then what do we say about the
verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning): “The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals, etc.) of the
people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is
lawful to them” [al-Maa’idah 5:5]? 

He
replied:

Eating with a disbeliever is not haraam, if there is a need for that or
there is some legitimate shar‘i interest to be served. But you should not
take them as friends and eat with them for no legitimate reason or when
there is no shar‘i interest to be served, and you should not be too
comfortable with them and laugh with them. But if there is a need for that,
such as eating with a guest, or seeking to call them to Allah and guide them
to the truth, or for other legitimate purposes, then there is nothing wrong
with it. 

The fact that the food of the people of the Book is permissible for us does
not mean that we should take them as close friends and companions, and it
does not mean that we may join them in eating and drinking when there is no
need to do so and no shar‘i interest to be served by that. And Allah is the
source of strength. End quote. 

Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz
(9/329) 

Secondly: 

It
is not permissible to celebrate Christmas or any other festival of the
disbelievers, or to join their people in their celebrations, or to
congratulate them on these occasions. Please see the answer to questions no.
947 and 145950 

One of the ways of celebrating and observing festivals is to come together
for a meal on these occasions or to make food for the people who are
celebrating. This is one of the manifestations of celebrating their
festivals, as is well-known among them and others. 

As
for delaying the date of this gathering for food, or bringing it forward, by
a month or more or less, none of that changes the ruling in the slightest,
so long as this food is connected to the festival of the mushrikeen, or is
an alternative to compensate for not meeting with them on that occasion. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The word ‘eid (festival) is a generic term which may be applied to any day
or place on which they gather, and any acts that they do in these places or
at these times. The prohibition is not specifically on their festivals only;
rather it also applies to everything that they venerate of those times and
those places for which there is no basis in the Islamic religion, and what
they do of actions during those festivals is included in that. Also included
in the prohibition on celebrating their festivals are the days before and
after the festival on which they do things having to do with the festival,
or the places around that place in which they do certain things having to do
with the festival, or things that they do that have to do with the actions
of that festival. These things all come under the same ruling, so none of
those things should be done. Some people refrain from doing things on the
days of their festival, such as Maundy Thursday and Christmas, and they say
to their families: I will do that for you some other week or some other
month, and what prompts him to do that is the fact that they are having that
festival, otherwise he would not have decided to do that activity at a later
time. This is a kind of imitation of the disbelievers. But he should
compensate his family with the Eids that are prescribed by Allah and His
Messenger, and he should take care of them during that day in such a way
that they will no longer look to any other festival. If they are not content
with that, then all you can say is: There is no power and no strength except
with Allah. But if he angers his family for the sake of Allah, Allah will
make him content and will make them content.

End quote from Iqtida’ as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (2/5-6) 

To
sum up: the gathering asked about is not permissible, and it comes under the
heading of joining the Christians in their festivals that are based on
falsehood. It makes no difference that the Muslims are the ones who are
making the food or joining them in making it, because that does not alter
the ruling in the slightest. 

And Allah knows best.