I've come across a few recent bits of writing from people who think we should do away with "Merry Christmas." Even though I'm an atheist, I love Christmas, and I really hope I don't offend people with the following because it is Christmas and all!
The rules around what's allowed during Christmas at my public school seem to change from year to year. This year, there were carols and a tree without any debate, but some years we can only celebrate Christmas and put up a tree in the foyer if we have something there also commemorating Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Ramadan, the latter two not always falling at the same time as Christmas. It's unfortunate a Festivus pole was never a requirement. That none of these have anything to do with Christmas beyond a semblance of timing (some years closer than others) isn't necessarily a problem, except we typically don't celebrate anything else from any other culture at any other time. It's a grab bag of festivities that we use to permit a Christian celebration in a pubic school.
But this is an argument that suggests either we celebrate everything or nothing demanding a show of equality through equal time given. My counterargument is that this celebration is a part of the dominant culture and, more importantly, that it's a tradition worth fostering.
But this is an argument that suggests either we celebrate everything or nothing demanding a show of equality through equal time given. My counterargument is that this celebration is a part of the dominant culture and, more importantly, that it's a tradition worth fostering.
