Dear Teachers,
As some of you may know, if you have any students who identify as Christian in your class, they may be absent while observing the Christian holiday of Christmas.
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Officially, the holiday commemorates the birth of their prophet. In modern times, the holiday incorporates many pagan winter solstice rituals as well.
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Some children may believe that a man named Santa Claws (aka St. Nicholas Ha’Kadosh) will visit their house on a sled pulled by flying deer while they are asleep.
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As terrifying as this belief sounds, apparently the children really look forward to his home invasion because they wake up to presents that Santa left for them in the middle of the night.
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Please refrain from telling these students that their parents make the whole thing up— they will get angry with you for spoiling the "magic" of Christmas.
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(This is similar to magical Christian beliefs during a spring festival when a magic bunny visits children in the middle of the night to lay colorful chicken eggs in hidden nests throughout their houses or yards.)
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Note: St. Nicholas Ha’Kadosh is obviously a religious figure and must not be incorporated into any #PublicSchool classroom celebrations.
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Some students might wear garish sweaters. Please DO comment on the ugliness of the sweater. They believe the uglier the sweater is, the better. Most of them will probably be yellow and white— the colors of Christianity—
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... but others might have pictures of Santa Claws surrounded by deer or maybe polar bears because they believe he lives in the Arctic Circle.
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Some students might ask to hear Jingle Bells. This is the anthem of Christmas. It is acceptable to play the song once during snack time if requested by a student.
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Please do not assume your Christian student will feel comfortable asking questions about Christmas. They might feel uncomfortable being treated as a spokesperson to explain...
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... how the prophet's mother became pregnant or how Santa Claws has time to visit all twelve Christian families in our school district in one night.
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The traditional greeting is "Merry Christmas" or sometimes "Seasons Greetings." If you forget, a simple "Chag Sameach" is never wrong.
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Eight days after Christmas they celebrate the day of their prophet’s bris as their Rosh Hashanah.
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Their calendar counts the years since the bris. It was a bit over 2000 years ago.
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Check GregCal.com if you need to know the exact number. It is also a good resource for other Christian holiday dates since they move around so much from year to year, and it doesn't even coincide with a new moon.
Thank you for your hard work!
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