I want to start this blog post by clarifying what I mean by “the Holidays.” I am specifically referring to the months of November through January. I would be remiss not to admit to the fact that I am already centering a specific culture and religion by stating that “the Holidays” exist within this time slot.

While I honor all of the holidays celebrated by cultures and religions outside of November through January, for the purpose of this post I will be focusing on these few months of the year.

With that being said, I’d like to share ways that “the Holidays” can be a topic of content within the classroom without simply centering Christianity and the white experience.

After all, in my 10+ years as a teacher, I have had countless students of the global majority who deserved to see as much of themselves in our day-to-day learning as do their white, christian counterparts.

1. Learn About Holidays

One focus for this season could be learning more about the various holidays that are celebrated around the world and by the various religions of the world. In this fashion, the topic of celebration is still close at hand but you also get the bonus of expanding student knowledge.

There are plenty of resources one might find in order to do this. From websites, to youtube videos, to children’s books all one has to do is engage in a short, simple search to locate sources that will support the goal of teaching our students more about holiday celebrations.

There are tons of children’s books out there that showcase information about all of these wonderful holidays as well. The Scholastic BIG Book of Holidays Around the Year could be another great resource!

Your media specialist or local librarian would likely be great resources for searching out tools to inform your students. Additionally, if your school has a subscription to EPIC! then you’ll find no short supply of resources there either.

National Geographic not only has a book series called, “Holidays Around the World.” They also have a great website for digging deeper into these holidays.

If you’re using a website, check out my Journal WebQuest Template. You could pair this journaling activity with whichever website you find – regardless of the holiday!

2. Provide Opportunities for Sharing

Give students the opportunity to share what holidays THEY celebrate and HOW they celebrate these holidays. Simple pen and paper can give them the space to share what their experience has been and how things have been celebrated specifically in their families.

If you want a more focused-approach to journaling about the holidays, this Fall & Winter Writing Bundle would be perfect. Each set in the bundle has 10 journaling pages and over 30 journaling prompts. While the bundle contains two sets about Fall and two about Winter, it also has a reflection and goal-setting journal set.

The Fall Holidays and Winter Holidays each have a page of holidays that are celebrated during that time of year that provides a snippet of information about that holiday. Most importantly, the prompts help students tap into their curiosity to learn more about holidays and share their own experiences of the holidays they are a part of.

After students journal with the prompts, you could incorporate whatever classroom sharing activities you enjoy or find meaningful.

NOTE: I would caution you not to put any student on the spot as a “representative” of a specific culture, country, or religion. Making sharing strictly voluntary avoids sending the message that one person is able to speak on behalf of an entire people. Additionally, depending on the age of your students, they may not even hold an awareness of whether or not their personal experience is in line (or not) of the culture, religion, or people as a whole.

3. Use differentiated Resources

If you have students with varying levels of academic ability or if you teach English Language Learners, finding resources that allow all of our students to share their thoughts and experiences is critical. Using resources that are focused on building vocabulary and feature pictures and images are especially helpful.

Don’t miss these fall and winter vocabulary sets. They include vocabulary and imagery that represents various holidays that are celebrated around the world during these seasons.

An Overall Understanding

It is important that we have an overall understanding of how we incorporate, or choose not to incorporate, the topic of holidays during this time of year. Everyone’s perspectives and experiences are important.

Using the phrase, “the Holidays” does not detract from the Christian celebration of Christmas, but instead provides us a pathway toward sharing similar and cherished experiences. It is a way to uplift and honor the stories of MANY versus a select group.

Regardless of religion, cultural background, etc., the holidays can be a stressful time of year due to the varying home lives and personal histories of our students. Staying observant to our students’ moods and demeanor will go a long way in maintaining positive relationships and continuing to provide a safe space for our learners.

So, from my heart to yours,

Happy Holidays, friends.

Click the images above if you are interested in solely the Holiday Journaling Sets.

S