Walking past designer stores, the towering, decorated tree looms over me. Little specks of red and gold are barely visible at the top of it, the shiny ornaments placed strategically over every inch of the spiky leaves. At the very tip of the tree lies a large gold star, topping off Stanford Mall’s Christmas masterpiece. Festive carols play in the background as people walk around in Santa hats. 

Every year as soon as Thanksgiving passes, Christmas is the talk of the town. Teachers will start playing Christmas music in their classrooms and may even add Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel as the one token Hanukkah song in an attempt at inclusivity. Even in our elementary schools, Christmas party invitations are sent out. 

I remember being in fourth grade, and my classroom had a “winter” party where we decorated little plastic ornaments and ate Christmas-themed cookies. At the time, I saw no issue with it. Now as a high school student, I see these traditions in a different light. The way that Christmas envelopes our society and even filters into public schools seems contradictory to the diverse community we have in Palo Alto.

Starting on Dec. 21 this school year, winter break is one of the most anticipated breaks among students. Despite its name, it’s still colloquially referred to as Christmas break. We need to all start calling it by its name— winter break.

When people refer to the winter break as “Christmas break,” it overtly excludes everybody who doesn’t celebrate that holiday or has different cultural traditions. Even though people may not have any ill-intent in their phrasing, their words still inadvertently make heavy generalizations about our diverse community that also celebrates the many other winter holidays, including Kwanzaa, New Year’s and Hanukkah. The term Christmas break minimizes the value of other holidays and makes it appear as though the entire break solely revolves around the Christian holiday of Christmas.

Ultimately, to recognize Palo Alto’s diversity, it’s important that we start shifting our language to make sure the wording is as inclusive and accurate as possible. By calling it “winter break,” we create a more inclusive environment for everyone, no matter their traditions, culture or religion.