On Nov. 13, CNN reported that a school in Connecticut did away with religious holidays on the school calendar. Most of the school's patrons are Christian or Jewish, but the decision to eliminate all religious references on the calendar came after a Muslim group wanted their faith's holidays to be acknowledged in the same way as those that are Christian or Jewish.
The school board's solution was to get all religious holidays off of the calendar and as a result, more patrons were upset than if the board had done nothing.
Afterwards, the Muslim group said that the elimination of expressions of faith was the last thing they wanted.
We could say that every religion and every tradition and every holiday should have equal footing, but we know that doesn't always work, as the issue in Connecticut demonstrated.
My 21-year-old son Jared is studying in Austria this semester and on Thanksgiving weekend, he and some friends there got together to celebrate with a small Thanksgiving feast.
They don't observe Thanksgiving in Austria, so in a way my son was introducing some individuals to the American tradition that surrounds Thanksgiving.
But Jared didn't go to Austria expecting them to do everything according to what he is accustomed to.
In fact, most of us, if we travel very far, are reasonable enough to understand that some cultures or subcultures don't do things as we do here.
If I were at a soccer game in Mexico, I would expect them to play Mexico's national anthem before the contest. I would not expect them to play America's national anthem just for me.
During this month, if I visited the home of a devout Jewish family in Israel, I would not expect to see a nativity scene or hear Silent Night playing in the background.
If I were in Iraq on Dec. 25, I wouldn't expect that the locals would put together a Christmas celebration to make me feel at home.
Quite simply, in any culture we can expect that traditions are usually in line with what is wanted or what is practiced by the majority of the people.
That's the way it is at this time of year in America. Christmas is widely celebrated because that's what most Americans - for either religious or for traditional reasons - want to do.
Christmas in America is a time in which people tend to feel more loving and more honorable towards others than at any other time of the year.
And as a result, it's a time in which conflicts and problems can be minimized or eliminated altogether.
Pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren wrote about the theme of reconciliation in his book The Purpose of Christmas.
"Reconciliation is the restoration of peace," he wrote. "Peace with God, peace with others, and peace in your own heart. It is the powerful miracle cure for broken lives and relationships. Reconciliation defuses conflict and turns chaos into calmness. It quiets quarrels. It swaps your stress for God's serenity, turns tension into tranquility, and produces peace of mind instead of panic or pressure."
That message is appropriate at this time and always.
May peace and reconciliation be yours this year. Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
David Wilson, EdD, is the associate principal at Jefferson City High School. You may e-mail him at [email protected].