As bright lights and decorations line downtown streets and people anxiously await the first snowfall, the winter season is upon us.

Christmas is one of the biggest holidays celebrated in America and is universally recognized as a national holiday. As a result, many people can celebrate Christmas by spending quality time with their families, friends and peers through time off work and vacations from schooling. 

Although the United States is an ethnically diverse nation comprised of immigrants from all over the world, only 12 federal holidays are designated by the U.S. government. Therefore, the nondominant holidays of various cultures are prone to being left out of the holiday conversation. 

“The U.S. government recognizes the major holidays centered around the white culture, but a lot of immigrant cultures are being ignored,” said Price Xu, junior in LAS.

Addressing such concerns, at the heart of keeping holiday celebrations inclusive, exists the concerted effort of school teachers to educate next-generation students.

Aurora Lucas, a special education teacher in Chicago, shared her thoughts on the importance of keeping holiday celebrations inclusive. 

“It helps students prepare for the world once they’re out there in college and traveling,” Lucas said. “They’ll be able to know other cultures already and then it just makes them better, more well-rounded students.” 

During Lucas’ time in school, she noticed there were so many cultures around her, but the recognized holidays seemed to be solely American holidays and never those of her peers. 

Lucas said she prioritizes teaching and recognizing indigenous tribes to her students in order to diversify her curriculum. 

“Recognizing that there are a lot of indigenous tribes around us; we just don’t know it a lot of the time,” Lucas said. “But I think that the government never apologized for what happened in the past.” 

Columbus Day — a federal holiday celebrating the founding of the New World led by Christopher Columbus — is considered by many to be a controversial holiday. For some, the day is a reminder of the colonization, violence and mass genocide inflicted upon many indigenous tribes. 

Considering such controversies, many states began to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day to recognize and honor the Indigenous tribes in America.

“So (Columbus Day), hoping it will actually change on the school calendar, but also the mindset of the students they’ll be able to speak up as well,” Lucas said. “Hey, it shouldn’t say Christopher Columbus, it should be saying Indigenous Peoples Day.”

Morgan Crowley, a general education circuit teacher at Lincoln Trail Elementary in Mahomet, Illinois, explained her stance on the importance of keeping holiday celebrations inclusive. 

“It’s important for (students) just to realize that there are other cultures, other celebrations and different ways of life out there,” Crowley said. “That way they don’t just get that single-minded thinking in our world. So it’s definitely nice to see them enjoying all the other cultures.”

Despite the low diversity rate at Lincoln Trail Elementary, according to Crowley, the teachers still strive to widen the perspective of their students through the IDEA committee. 

The IDEA committee, which stands for inclusion, diversity, equity and access, is a committee of 10 sections that run in different packs. They are responsible for bringing ideas and having a list set up for each pack. 

“We have each of these packs focusing on (specific topics), and I know this month was bullying awareness and Native American Heritage month,” Crowley said. “So our hallways right now are decorated from specific classrooms. You know, showcasing and bringing awareness to all of those things.”

For the winter holidays, which is the theme of Crowley’s pack, she said she planned to celebrate the holidays around the world. 

“Either every week or every few days we’re going to be talking about Hanukkah, the differences between that and Christmas,” Crowley said. “We did the same thing for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos where we were able to compare the similarities and differences.”

Crowley further emphasized the importance of showcasing various celebrations within an educational setting.

“With the major holidays approaching, we must acknowledge that various holidays exist in this nation and respect the ones who don’t celebrate them,” Crowley said. “No holiday should be seen as superior or inferior as all holidays deserve equal respect.” 

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