Maybe it's because I was a kid at the time, but I don't remember the holiday season being even remotely controversial when I was young. You had your Santa Claus parade, you got your picture taken with the jolly old elf, you decorated your tree, and you got your presents on Christmas morning. Good, straightforward times.
Not so much anymore.
As KETV in Omaha reports, the principal of Manchester Elementary in Elkhorn will be spending some time on administrative leave after instructing teachers to crack down on certain Christmas decorations around the school.
And she didn't consult the district's official policy before doing so. The things she wanted to exclude for "religious" reasons did not sit well with parents.
Also, making a Christmas ornament as a gift — "This assumes that the family has a Christmas tree which assumes they celebrate Christmas," and, believe it or not, candy canes.
"Historically, the shape is a ‘J’ for Jesus," she wrote. "The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection. This would also include different colored candy canes."
That's not at all where they come from.
At worst, it's incorrect. Although the history of the candy cane is murky, the most likely explanation is that they were hooked to make them hang better on a Christmas tree. And nobody even knows who started adding stripes to candy canes or why.
Sorry, principal, but you have to go back to class on this one.
I know I wasn't the only kid who did this. I'm well aware that it's a miracle I still have both eyes.
"Snow men, snow women, snow people; snowflakes; gifts; gingerbread people; sledding; hot chocolate; polar bears; scarves, boots, earmuffs, and hats; polar bears; penguins; and 'yetis' and 'Olafs' (from Frozen)."
To try to stem a tide of phone calls from concerned parents, they issued a statement saying that the district, "Has since clarified expectations and provided further direction to staff in alignment with District policy."
