His company gives its employees a Christmas bonus

His company gives its employees a Christmas bonus

I live in the u.s. and am employed with a retail clothing company that has two end-of-year traditions effecting its employees.


1. Issuance of a "christmas" bonus in an amount determined by salary and company sales performance.


2. An allotment of $50 to be used for, or towards a "holiday" meal of their choosing.


Are these actions considered unacceptable gifts?.

 

Praise be to Allaah.

There is nothing wrong with a company giving its employees
bonuses or gifts, whether in the form of cash, coupons or specific gifts.
But if the gift is connected to Christmas and is a kind of celebration or
congratulations on the occasion of that festival, it is not permissible to
accept it, because it is a kind of honouring their festivals and approving
of them, and helping them in their falsehood. 

There is nothing wrong with the employee eating at the
restaurant chosen by the company so long as there are no evils involved that
the employee cannot denounce or remove, such as drinking alcohol, music,
dancing and so on, in which case it is not permissible for him to go there
unless he is compelled to do so.