Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear sister in Islam, we are greatly impressed by your question, for it is related to the affairs of the new Muslims. We seize the chance to earnestly implore Allah from the depths of our hearts to lead all perplexed men and women to the light of Islam, the true religion of Allah. We welcome all our new Muslim brothers and sisters to the fold of Islam.
First of all, you are to be commended for your keenness to keep good relations with your family and be compassionate to them. As a Muslimah, it is your duty to be very gentle and kind to them, especially your parents. Almighty Allah says, “Keep their company with kindness in this world, and follow the path of him who turns to Me. Then unto Me will you return, and I shall tell you what you did.” (Luqman 31:15)
Therefore, you can accept invitations from your family, share their happy times with them, and eat any kind of permissible food with them, which excludes pork, intoxicants, and that which has been dedicated to idols. Also, you should not participate in any religious rituals associated with non-Muslim beliefs.
In his response to your question, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Member of the Executive Committee of the Fiqh Council of North America and the Religious Director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, states:
It is your responsibility to have good relations with your parents, and be kind and considerate to them as well as to your family at large. Many families celebrate Christmas as part of their culture and not because of their religious ideologies. We are forbidden to participate in Christmas celebrations if they are observed as a token of respect to the birth of God and seeking Divine pleasure and rewards. However, there is nothing wrong to join one’s family or have dinner with them if they are just celebrating a cultural holiday. At the same time, it will be wrong to consume any unlawful food items such as pork or alcohol; however, joining the family for the sake of kindness, mutual love and respect is an important part of the Islamic social code.
You need to draw the line between acts of worship and cultural practices. If you feel that your faith is challenged by participating in such events or that your faith is compromised then you should avoid taking part.
Allah Almighty knows best.