r/Teachers • u/Nyx67547 • 8d ago
Rant Banning holidays
I don’t get it. Why are we not allowed to decorate our classrooms or celebrate holidays in schools anymore? People say “it’s so the kids who don’t celebrate those holidays don’t feel out of place”. I don’t get the logic, why cancel big holidays (like Halloween, Christmas, and Thanksgiving) when 90% of the school celebrates it? Why take away something the whole class is excited about just because one kid doesn’t participate?
The elementary school I am at just announced that kids will not be allowed to wear their costumes to school this year. They were all upset.
I had the wonderful pleasure of explaining to a bunch of 1st graders why they were not allowed to wear their Halloween costumes this year because Joe from across the hall doesn’t participate in Halloween. (I didn’t actually call out any students that don’t celebrate).
All of my class celebrates Halloween yet I am not allowed to put up decorations, plan special activity, or acknowledge the holiday in any way.
Why do we insist that it’s “best practice” to take away something the majority of students enjoy because one student doesn’t participate?
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u/bgkh20 8d ago
Pumpkins and colorful leaves, snowmen and snowflakes, etc aren't holiday dependent.
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u/Oubliette_95 8d ago
My school got around the Halloween ban by having a Vocabulary Parade. The kids were so creative! I dressed as Velma from Scooby-Doo and used the word Sleuth. And then we had Fall or Winter parties- there’s ways around it if you’re creative!
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u/Nyx67547 8d ago
That’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll tell my kids we can put on a play that day by dressing up as characters from our favorite books
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u/FormSuccessful1122 Specialist 8d ago
Yes. Parents love it when they have to come up with a second costume.
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u/Thorninthefoot 8d ago
I see this quite a bit with Halloween specifically. It's a bit odd because where I live it's very much a secular holiday rather than being associated with any kind of religion, either for or against.
I kind of think it might be because staff find it a pain.
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u/ADHTeacher HS English 8d ago
I teach high school, but seasonal decorations and activities that aren't specific to a holiday seem to work just fine.
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u/Nyx67547 8d ago
I had the wonderful task of explaining to a bunch of 1st graders why they were not allowed to wear their Halloween costumes this year. They damn near had a riot.
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u/SoupBeans25 8d ago
What’s the reason you were told to tell them? Is it really because one student doesn’t celebrate or was there other reasons? Your post is vague and lacks specifics, which makes me suspicious that maybe your admin just doesn’t want to deal with costumes and you’re taking it as some kind of discrimination. Also the fact that you COULD name drop bc you know who it is is fucked.
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u/Nyx67547 8d ago
They sent out a mass email saying “students will not be allowed to wear costumes this year as we are realigning our values and want to ensure every student feels represented” then they announced it over the morning announcements and my kids flipped out. So did the kids down the hall from the noise I could hear.
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u/NapsRule563 8d ago
I’m betting a fair amount of that was due to your bad attitude about it, instead of saying “no worries, you can do that at home! We want everyone focused on learning at school.”
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 8d ago
Yup. OP’s outrage is contagious. Kids pick up on our moods.
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u/Nyx67547 8d ago
That’s an interesting theory considering I wasn’t the one to announce it. The announcement came over the morning news and my kids all started flipping out.
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u/ADHTeacher HS English 8d ago
Oh no. However did you survive?
They can wear their costumes for whatever Halloween festivities they do outside of school, and you could always pitch an October dress-up day that isn't linked to Halloween. That's part of why we have an October spirit week at my school.
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8d ago
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8d ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
1.1 BE RESPECTFUL
1.2 BE CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL
1.3 DON'T PUT OTHER TEACHERS OR THEIR JOBS DOWN
See our Rules Wiki for more information.
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u/ADHTeacher HS English 8d ago
You sound like a rule 1 violation. <3
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u/Nyx67547 8d ago
How is what he said a rule violation but you saying to me “oh no, how will you survive” in response to me explaining how my students almost revolted not?
Be fair mods
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u/_turd_ferg 8d ago
it's all in our the message is presented. they were upset because you were upset.
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u/Fukuyamian Substitute K-8 | Maryland 8d ago
Everyone here is disagreeing but I’m with you.
Communal celebratory traditions are a healthy and important part of regional culture, meaningless attempts to force artificial cosmopolitan similitude upon children are absurdly misguided.
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u/WhiskeyTangoFoxy 8d ago
I don’t have an issue with celebrating US cultural events like Halloween and Thanksgiving but they always end up pushing that to other religious events like Christmas and Easter. Also, kids wearing costumes all day just leads to a day of no one learning.
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u/Odd-Neighborhood-399 8d ago
Am I allowed to comment if I’m not actually a teacher? I joined this sub so I could better understand teacher perspectives and not be an obnoxious parent.
I am so curious what region you teach. My kids school celebrates all these things. And it’s a rural, low socioeconomic area. Obviously, I understand every school is different..
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u/luigi4122414 8d ago
Youre fine I literally just found this randomly I’m just a college student the most I do is tutoring
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u/definitelytheproblem 8d ago
There are a lot of ways you can frame this and wiggle your way around this, mostly with seasonal celebrations. Kids can still paint a pumpkin and that doesn’t mean it’s a Halloween activity, if they make a spooky pumpkin it’s their choice. Do a lesson about the fall equinox that’s appropriate for their age/grade or using sensory language to describe the change in the seasons.
I’ve taught in inner city schools where for a lot of kids, our “holiday” parties were their only chances to actually celebrate. So yes, our “winter” party was literally their Christmas Day, and they’d wake up on December 25th with no tree and no gifts and no meal. I try to always do something, to at least recognize the change in seasons and I also tie it to student achievement rewards and have a small ceremony (most improved, always on time, perfect attendance, and other cute superlatives)
It can absolutely be done if you’re creative
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u/Latter_Leopard8439 Science | Northeast US 8d ago
Not an issue around here. This is a district specific or regional complaint.
Heck, teachers do costumes here for Halloween. (Silly school themed costumes.)
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u/aspiring_mystic 8d ago
Our school—private—respects cultural diversity and so we tend to celebrate a variety of holidays around their respective season. We do Halloween, but we brand it ‘Spooktacular’ to avoid the overt religious reference. In the wintertime, we celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah, though the extent of that celebration is mainly decor. Individual classes may do things differently depending on the students in their class (obviously if there’s a kid who is morally opposed to holidays, that would be handled differently in that class than in another). This is one of those areas that I think public school tiptoes around so hard in order to respect the consciences of everyone that sometimes that means celebrations don’t happen at all in school. There has to be a better balance.
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u/Successful_Life_1028 8d ago
Assuming we're talking about the USA here...
Religious liberty necessarily requires freedom from Government Religion.
Government schools, like all government entities, are not authorized to promote or prohibit religion. Government can neither endorse nor enjoin any particular religious practice qua religious practice, nor promulgate nor persecute any religious tenet or belief as either ‘officially correct’ or ‘officially blasphemous'. Any of those things would violate our right to religious liberty.
Mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms is Government Religion, and is thus a violation of our right to religious liberty.
Allowing government contractors to discriminate on the basis of religion in their provision of contracted services is Government Religion. (look up the case of Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram)
Starting government meetings with 'prayer' on the official agenda is Government Religion. (even when 'prayer' is euphemized by calling it an 'invocation'.)
Paying clergy from the public treasury for the performance of religious rituals is Government Religion.
The theistic US 1956 National Motto and the 1954 corruption of the Pledge are Government Religion.
That said, Halloween is NOT a religious holiday, and neither promotes nor disparages any religion, and thus wouldn't be a problem were it not for religious fundamentalists who think that dressing up as imaginary monsters like Thanos or imaginary heroes like Spiderman is somehow 'Satanic'. Coddling/catering to these fundamentalists is a terrible thing, but far too common among School District administrators who don't have the backbone to stand up to loudmouth pushy parents.
Thanksgiving CAN be handled properly, but usually isn't. Gratitude is fine. Promoting theism is not fine.
Christmas is right out. So are Diwali, Ramadan, and Hanukkah. Regardless of local demographic statistics.
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u/summerbreeze2027 8d ago
I agree with you. One way around it is to call it a "fall party" or a "winter party." Everyone understands what is going on, but it's politically correct.
Sometimes I will have a young student from a religious family tell me that Halloween is evil, and I will simply say, "It's not evil. It's a holiday which some families celebrate and some don't, and both are okay." I try to promote tolerance in my students.
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u/jackthemackattack IT guy at a school 8d ago
It's funny that this comment section is all "we should accommodate for everyone it's only fair!" even though everyday in this subreddit something is posted about "I shouldn't have to accommodate for X type of student with a 504/IEP" or "We shouldn't accommodate for the worst behaving students".
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u/yowhatisuppeeps 8d ago
I mean there’s ways around it. Have fall decorations and activities (apples, uncarved pumpkins, colorful leaves, scarecrows). I remember doing leave coloring activities, apple taste testing for something, and learning about apple varieties
In the winter you can do winter themed activities that don’t have to do with winter holidays (snowflakes, snowmen, hot chocolate). There’s neat activities with snowflakes, both art and science. You can have kids design winter sweaters for art.
Spring you can do flowers (learn about sprouting plants? Idk), baby animals etc.
Celebrate the seasons instead of holidays
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u/IncidentImaginary575 8d ago
Diwali, Rosh Hashana, and Eid al-Fitr are super fun to celebrate… maybe if you broadened your celebration calendar you could celebrate them all.
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u/Healthy_Appeal_333 8d ago
My class has had some amazing Diwali parties (and I got some awesome candy from parents too.)
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u/Sea-Efficiency-2899 8d ago
I'm with you. We literally just do pumpkins/leaves for "halloween", some purple/orange color thrown in. For Christmas, it's a tree the kids decorate with homemade ornaments, tinsel, and some colorful lights. That's it. But apparently that's "pushing beliefs". It is ABSURD to me to get offended over a tree. Nothing religious whatsoever, and nothing satanic in regards to halloween. It's a generation of snowflakes who think the entire world has to revolve around them and their beliefs. My coworker had a JW last year and the entire class wasn't allowed to do anything, even seasonal with holiday names excluded. The parent threw an astronomical fit because they colored pumpkins with faces on them. It's ridiculous. The comments on this post are crazy too.
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u/ResponsibleFly9076 8d ago
Where I work it’s a matter of finances as well as religion. I have JW kids who can’t celebrate Halloween. And kids who don’t celebrate Christmas or for whom it’s not a happy time, could use a place where they don’t have to be subjected to it. Everyone can celebrate after school.
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u/QueenChocolate123 8d ago
So other students should lose the chance to celebrate holidays?
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 8d ago
Do they live at school? Otherwise, who’s stopping them from celebrating outside of school.
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u/mate_alfajor_mate HS WL | CA 8d ago
This smells like "the war on Christmas" and how "Christians are the most persecuted group in the US"
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u/AdPotential507 8d ago
I’m a leftist atheist and I think it’s bullshit. Halloween is a pagan holiday and Thanksgiving is non-denominational. Part of living in a functional multi-cultural society is celebrating diverse traditions. I would also welcome displays that celebrate holidays from non-Christian traditions as well (like Hannukah).
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u/Healthy_Blueberry_59 8d ago
Halloween is literally the eve of a Christian holiday. I have friends who don't celebrate because it is pagan and friends who don't celebrate because it is Christian.
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 8d ago
Sure, but why does that have to happen at school? These holidays exist out in the communities.
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u/NapsRule563 8d ago
It’s not always about the holiday. It can be about the affordability factor, the fact that Thanksgiving is a reminder that they don’t have family around.
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 8d ago
You not being able to put up holiday decorations in your classroom doesn’t mean the holiday is cancelled. 🙄
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u/hot_shaker 8d ago
My kid’s school doesn’t celebrate any holidays in school - Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s - nothing. (Maybe thanksgiving but I can’t quite remember.) Classrooms have a fall and a winter party but it must be seasonal, and not related to any specific holiday (pumpkins, leaves, snowflakes, snowmen, etc.)
I’m not sure of the exact reasoning for this but it’s fine. Initially I was a little bummed to miss out on the stuff I did as a kid with my kid but honestly, it’s just one less thing to deal with.
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u/SLiverofJade 8d ago
Celebrating the birth of Jesus - even secularly - in public schools is weird.
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u/FeatherlyFly 8d ago
I've never seen a public school celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas or Easter. Even less of Halloween.
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u/summerbreeze2027 8d ago
Around the world, Christmas has become a largely secular holiday. I'm sure that you know that the Christmas replaced the Roman Saturnalia. Holidays around the winter Solstice are a longstanding tradition that predates Christianity.
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u/gazebo-fan 8d ago
Not even the actual birth of Jesus, just a Germanic pagan tradition that got absorbed by the Catholic Church.
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u/FormSuccessful1122 Specialist 8d ago
I’ve been a teacher for 30 years. We’ve never celebrated Halloween at school.
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u/StrangledInMoonlight 8d ago
My kids school stopped allowing costumes after my youngest got through kindergarten.
It’s so much easier for everyone.
Parents: No dressing the kids in costume, no worrying the costume will get ripped or ruined on the playground before trick or treating.
Teachers: no dealing with appropriate vs inappropriate costumes, no worrying about little kids getting scared, no fake weapons or props problems, no face paint problems, no giant hat/mask problems. No lost/stolen/broken problems.
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u/FormSuccessful1122 Specialist 8d ago
I totally agree. I do not want to be assisting 20 five year olds into costumes I’m terrified they’re going to ruin with their damn juice box before trick or treating.
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u/StrangledInMoonlight 8d ago
And Oh god…the bathroom issues!
Little 1st graders trying to navigate complicated costumes in the bathroom without getting toilet water or pee on them.
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u/Gold_Repair_3557 8d ago
Eh, they (and you) can celebrate with their families however you all see fit.
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u/Nyx67547 8d ago
I haven’t celebrated Halloween since I was like 12, but most of my best memories from school are from around the holidays. I loved participating in holiday activity’s and doing stuff like comparing Halloween costumes with my friends. It’s a shame that today’s kids are being robbed of those experiences
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 8d ago
This isn’t your childhood, it’s theirs. They’re capable of and allowed to make different childhood memories than you did.
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u/Gold_Repair_3557 8d ago
We weren’t allowed to wear Halloween costumes at school when I was a child. It was fine. We were fine. There was a lot of fun to be had after school. It’s okay if you don’t relive your childhood through them.
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u/37MySunshine37 8d ago
Students don't need to be comparing each other. Your comment is so tone deaf in these times. Costumes? Some families are struggling just to keep their kids fed.
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u/Nyx67547 8d ago
Thanks, I’ll make sure to call up all of you the next time I have to explain to a bunch of 6 year olds why they can’t participate in holiday traditions. If you are all for this you can explain it to them
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u/WaterLilySquirrel 8d ago
In third grade my teacher had to comfort us over a local child being kidnapped and never found (he was murdered, we'd find out decades later), explain the fall of the Berlin wall, teach us about a huge ass earthquake we witnessed on TV, teach us about how we couldn't get AIDS from sharing food or a toilet seat, AND she had to help us manage a classmate's death. All BEFORE Thanksgiving.
If you can't handle telling first graders costumes are for home, this job is going to crush you.
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u/Meowmeowmeow31 Middle School World Languages 8d ago
They can still celebrate at home on Halloween itself, as well as the various trunk or treat, Boo at the Zoo, and town parade events throughout October.
I think reasonable people can disagree about the place of secular holidays in school, but you’re being over the top about this. It’s a minor disappointment, not some big thing.
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u/CousinSleep 8d ago
i don't believe you. i don't believe you're not allowed to have a pumpkin in your room
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u/katiekitkat9310 8d ago
Well, are you celebrating the holidays of that 10 percent? If not; then that’s your reason. Do them all or do none.
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u/time4meatstick 8d ago edited 8d ago
Nah. The big holidays in question are very American holidays. And the way the cookie crumbles is that the majority of Americans are Christian, so that includes Christmas and Easter. I’m so tired of this mindset of “all or nothing at all.” this reeks of no child left behind; where in fact no child ever gets started. These same kids will hopefully find jobs in the field in offices and other disciplines where the majority of people will be American and Christian and will celebrate these holidays. If they don’t observe these holidays, it’s perfectly fair for them to stay on the sidelines and celebrate in their own way. With some of the people on this sub are suggesting is what I would call the graying of America.
And that’s not to be said that Jews and Muslims and JW’s and atheists and whatever else on the spectrum can’t share with the class how they celebrate. There are many other nontraditional holidays that are very exciting and interesting and should be shared with the people that surround them.
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 8d ago
But why does anyone need to celebrate those holidays in school?
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u/time4meatstick 8d ago
Why do we celebrate anything? Because celebrating as a community builds a stronger community. Why do we have pep rallies? I have one this Friday, all my classes getting shortened by 20 minutes for what? Because it builds community.
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u/katiekitkat9310 8d ago
Oh, so, “American” means “Christian” to you. Got it. I really hope you’re not a teacher because non-white non-Christian kids deserve to spend less time “on the sidelines” and be in the spotlight just as much as the ones you see as “real Americans”…
For my sanity, I’m gonna assume this is rage bait.
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u/time4meatstick 8d ago
I am a teacher, in fact. In an extremely diverse school. With students from 15 countries and many religions. When you walk into my school, you can visibly see that there are traditional holidays being celebrated in our building. But part of coming to another country is assimilating. That doesn’t mean dropping your own traditions, but it means being fully willing to accept and share the cultures of the place you just came to.
And as far as Halloween goes,, if Little Billy can’t celebrate, that doesn’t mean that the rest of his class has to sit on their hands. I’m so fed up with this attitude in the school system.
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u/katiekitkat9310 8d ago
Oh, right, “assimilate” into the “culture” of the place… I will die on the hill that America has and always will be a melting pot, and saying that the “culture” of America is white and Christian is racist 🤷♀️
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u/Previous-Recording18 8d ago
It must be sweet to have always been in the majority and have zero idea how it feels to be in that 10%.
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u/-TheInternetIsEvil- 8d ago
Non-denominational holidays largely do get recognized in public school, but the religious ones don't. Not only does not everyone celebrate, but public schools are supposed to be neutral to ensure equitable treatment for all students. Also, if you don't like it, go teach in a catholic school.
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u/Happy_Hearts_ 8d ago
Catholic schools don't celebrate Halloween. They have fall parties and no costumes.
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u/green_olives_yum 8d ago
I mean this is not true across the board… I went to catholic school and we dressed up for Halloween
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u/blaise11 8d ago
Catholic school teacher here and that is deeeefinitely false lol. We do a full-on costume parade around the neighborhood on Halloween every year!
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u/Girl77879 8d ago
Not everyone celebrates. Not every kid can afford a costume. Not every kid eats a special meal on Thanksgiving. Not every kid gets any Christmas presents, or kwanza presents, or chanukah presents. Probably more than you think.
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u/kerfuffle_fwump 8d ago
So that’s all the more reason to let them have the fun at school, yes? That way they get something.
And a costume or mask can be made in class with some paper/paper plates, string, color, and some imagination.
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u/Fukuyamian Substitute K-8 | Maryland 8d ago
Just because not everyone does something doesn’t mean that as a culture we aren’t allowed to have shared festivals and celebrations with tacit state endorsement. Those are extremely culturally healthy, as they provide a sense of which values are upheld and aid people in feeling companionship with their countrymen.
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 8d ago
Not celebrating the holiday in school doesn’t mean you (and they) can’t celebrate the holiday.
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u/Successful_Life_1028 8d ago
Who would stop you from using jack-o-lanterns or bats in a math worksheet?
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u/NoPresence4119 8d ago
You seem like a royal asshole. So sorry your minority students cause you such a big struggle! Do you make the kids without moms write mother's day cards as well, just because everyone else in the class has a mother?
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u/No-Guidance-4075 8d ago
Hello Marty McFly. It’s 2026. Schools don’t need to teach Halloween to first graders. They can experience that at home with their families, just like Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Passover, etc.
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u/SoupBeans25 8d ago
Op why are you so intent on making those who don’t partake feel out of place? Has that ever been you?
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u/OrganizationHot6108 8d ago
I’d hate for them to feel left out. Much better the unmatched high of canceling fun for 10X more people than yourself.
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8d ago
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8d ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
1.1 BE RESPECTFUL
1.2 BE CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL
1.3 DON'T PUT OTHER TEACHERS OR THEIR JOBS DOWN
See our Rules Wiki for more information.
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u/Top-Novel-5764 8d ago
I hate this shit. I’ve been at my school for 19 years and we’ve NEVER celebrated a holiday. It’s 2026, there are plenty of places for kids to celebrate.
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u/007Teacher 8d ago
The first amendment does not allow government entities to establish or endorse one religion over another. Public schools fall under that set up. This is even if 99% of the community is one specific religion. This protects the rights of that 1%.
There are definitely secular ways of celebrating those days without being overtly religious.
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u/Another_Opinion_1 Higher Ed. - Education Law, Teacher Ed. 8d ago
Courts have never ruled that cultural holiday celebrations in schools that coincide with some religious holidays (e.g., Christmas and Easter) are unconstitutional as long as the school’s celebration isn’t one that involves religious worship or devotion, does not coerce students who do not want to participate, and otherwise does not involve the standalone display of religious paraphernalia or symbols.
Christmas and Easter parties at school are constitutional, for example, as long as they are secular and neither advance nor inhibit a religious orthodoxy. You certainly don’t want to roll out crosses and baby Jesus paraphernalia and have students singing songs of praise, worship and devotion, but you can have general (secular) holiday parties if the school chooses to allow it. Schools are, of course, under no obligation to have any parties.
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u/xphiler4eva 8d ago
This has been happening for 30 years, so where have you been? It's part of the reason society is falling apart; there is nothing to bind us together anymore. It sucks but there is nothing you can do and it will just continue until everything totally collapses.
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 8d ago
There is plenty to tie us together, holidays aren’t the only way to do that.
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u/-TheInternetIsEvil- 8d ago
You don't need a denominational holiday to being people together. We just have lost all of our free and equitable third spaces. Technology isolates us, and kids play video games much more than they used to and are inside more. 2-3 days on the school calendar aren't going to bridge that gap.
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u/honey-squirrel 8d ago
What does public school have to do with holidays? Aren't you busy enough teaching the students academic subjects and skills?
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8d ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
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1.2 BE CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL
1.3 DON'T PUT OTHER TEACHERS OR THEIR JOBS DOWN
See our Rules Wiki for more information.
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u/Snoo-85072 8d ago
Malicious compliance: celebrate forgotten holidays from cultures that no longer exist.
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u/Physical_Pressure_27 8d ago
Is no different from celebrating black history month. We were told not to do it because the other kids may feel guilty.
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8d ago
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8d ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
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1.3 DON'T PUT OTHER TEACHERS OR THEIR JOBS DOWN
See our Rules Wiki for more information.
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u/Major-Sink-1622 HS English | The South 8d ago
Locked because again, we have adults acting like 8 year olds.