Christmas has always been an uncomfortable time for me as a Jewish person. In the US, December comes with an explosion of Christmas trees and songs and candy canes and Santa, often in schools. While seen as a harmless secular part of American life, it can feel especially ostracizing to young children who do not celebrate.

While Hanukkah is now often marketed in the media and regarded as another winter holiday in an attempt to be inclusive, this rings hollow. Focusing on a second holiday is an excuse to talk about Christmas when major holidays in other cultures and religions are never mentioned. It was promoted due to its proximity to Christmas rather than its importance to the people who celebrate it. Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday that is only well known by non-Jews due to its conflation with Christmas.

In Judaism, some of the most important holidays are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover; Hanukkah is nowhere near the top of the list. The idea that Hanukkah is a significant Jewish holiday is a misconception. I’ve heard people describe Hanukkah as “the Jewish version of Christmas,” which is offensive and rooted in the idea that Christianity is more important than other religions.

According to the Washington Post, the First Amendment allows many holiday decorations and activities for educational purposes rather than proselytizing. Christmas trees and menorahs are allowed as they are considered secular. The Anti-Defamation League states that decorations should include a variety of holidays to avoid promoting a religion. Under these guidelines, many school decorations are legal, but that does not mean they are inclusive.

Many argue that there are secular aspects of Christmas, but no matter how a person celebrates, the origins are rooted in Christianity. While it may be secular to you, it feels religious to me and many others. Christmas has no place in schools, but no one seems to have asked themselves why they feel it does. It is not to educate children about religion since the rest of the year is free of any holiday-themed billboards and activities.

Christmas is seen as fun, and tacking on the fact that there are other holidays for those who do not celebrate is supposed to make it okay that many kids feel left out. When I have done winter holiday activities in class, the fact that Hanukkah was mentioned did not make it any less uncomfortable that Christmas was the reason for the activity. The idea that Christmas is a central part of American childhood is untrue and ostracizing for many people. The wider ramifications of Christmas in schools need to be prioritized over people’s attachment to traditions.

If schools were to educate children on multiple important holidays and the religions and cultures they are tied to throughout the year, Christmas would have its place in that. I would love for my peers to learn about Judaism and important Jewish holidays, and for me to learn about other religions, cultures and holidays. With the majority of the U.S. being Christian, I have been bombarded with Christianity and Christmas from a young age. Yet, I have always had to educate my peers on Judaism despite the diverse area I have grown up in.

Christmas is important to many people, and taking it out of schools is not restricting freedom of religion. It is simply allowing every student to participate in the religious and cultural practices they wish to rather than those of the dominant culture. There is no need for Christmas to permeate a learning environment intended for a country as diverse as America.

Christmas should be removed from schools as much as possible, or important holidays from other cultures and religions brought into schools. Either way, education that covers a variety of religions is necessary for an inclusive society. We need to question the idea that Christianity is the most important religion in the country and its holidays central to American life and embrace the religious diversity of America.