A Dec. 18 letter lamented the absence of Christmas from the View Ridge Elementary School’s Winter Festival program.
At one time, Christmas programs and parties were common in public schools with no thought given to the needs and feelings of children whose families practice religions other than Christianity. In our increasingly diverse society we have become more sensitive and respectful toward all religions and are struggling with how to be more tolerant and accepting.
Christmas is best observed in homes and churches – wonderful places for Christmas carols to be sung and enjoyed. What its role should be in public schools and community gatherings is unresolved in America today and it will take time for us to work this out.
Some complain that others are taking God out of the schools as if God were a weakling who can be bullied easily and pushed around. The real threats to Christmas, in my opinion, do not come from the school district or from other religions, but from the greed and commercialism that have come to characterize the season.
Christmas is not about shopping. It is about peace, goodwill, tolerance and sharing with the needy. Let those who celebrate Christmas focus on its true meaning instead of making another frantic trip to the mall.
Judy Kessinger
Mill Creek
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