How are holidays celebrated at your private school?

[Anonymous]

Our school went through so much effort to avoid the Christian thing at this time of year. It would have been simpler just to avoid the Secret Santa routine but they had to change the name to "Secret Pal." Do you know how dorky those of us who celebrate Christmas felt by having to use this term? And god forbid if we slipped up and called it "Secret Santa.".....

Why not just skip it altogether?

[Anonymous]

PP, that is absolutely stupid, and I hope someone voiced that to your powers that be. Sorry, but there is no other word for it. A "secret pal?" Give me a break....

[Anonymous]

A "secret pal" sounds like a child molester

[Anonymous]

That's nuts. Santa not a Biblical character for crying out loud.

OP, I'd leave the holiday celebrations alone and try to teach your child/children's classmates about your religion at appropriate times of the year. Trying to change things might not be well received because you have the choice of downplaying/ignoring things. I am not following why you are so excised about this.

[Anonymous]

If you want a laugh, there's a lawn decoration over where Wise Rd enters the park of Santa cradling Baby Jesus, complete with a candy cane portico around them! Very weird...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
That's not being fair. If we're celebrating Kwanzaa which is an African holiday, why can't this poster ask for a celebration of a Native American holiday too? Blonde, blue eyed Southerners, Montana cowboys, and WASP New Englanders hardly fit the criteria for any minority. African American, Native Americans, Jews, Muslims, Hindu's, etc...well, they are minorities.

Kwanzaa is NOT an African holiday.

It is a made up holiday but someone in the US and too me smacks of being a rip off of Hanukkah. Here is a nice quote about it "During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said that it was meant to be an alternative to Christmas, that "Jesus was psychotic", and that Christianity was a white religion that blacks should shun"

I know lots of Africans (not African Americans) who do not even know what the heck Kwanzaa is much less are intersted in celebrating. They are either Muslim or Christian as far as religion goes and those that celebrate do the secular version of Christmas.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like schools end up getting so many parents upset because they overthink and overplan this time of year with a strategy to be everything to everybody. From my experience, when you keep it simple, downplay differences, and keep the focus universal, it is easier for everyone to enjoy and to feel included.

[Anonymous]

Santa and the baby Jesus, that must be a sight! Oh come all ye mirthful or what?