Winter Holidays: How to Make Everyone Feel Included, Despite Different Religious Background

The winter holidays are coming, which are a time of rejoicing for nearly everyone. However, it's important to remember that not everyone celebrates the same year-end holidays. A school's transportation management office should strive to make every child feel welcome and included, and that's especially important during the winter holidays.

So, let's talk about how to celebrate the holidays in ways which make as many children as possible feel included.

Know Your Winter Holidays

If you're going to include decorations in your office, or on buses, try to include some items from as many holidays as possible. These would include:

Christmas - Obviously. The point here is largely to make sure your celebrations aren't 100% focused on the Christian holidays.

Hanukkah - The eight-day Jewish celebration of rededicating the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Common icons include the menorah (a nine-pronged candelabra) and the Dreidel, a four-sided spinning top toy used to play games.

Solstice - The winter solstice, the day of least sunlight in the year, is important to a wide variety of traditional pagan and magic-based practices. The solstice is on Dec 21 this year, which is a Saturday, so it could be emphasized on the Friday bus ride home.

Kwanzaa - This celebration of African culture runs from Dec 24 - Jan 1, so it fits right in with Christmas decorations. Its primary icon is a seven-pronged candelabra, three red, one black in the middle, then three green. Otherwise, almost any black African art can represent it.

Bohdi Day - This Dec 8 holiday (this year), is a Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. The traditional diagram of the Eightfold Path, or a picture of the enlightened Buddha, can represent it.

Festivus - A "joke" December 23 holiday originally popularized by the old Seinfeld TV show has been embraced by atheists and agnostics, as well as people who object to the consumerism of Christmas. Just stick an unadorned aluminum pole upright on a stand (really!), and its celebrators will feel seen.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

1 - Any holiday themed messages should be neutral

"Happy holidays" feels a bit trite, but it's been adopted specifically because it's holiday-neutral and inclusive. Try to avoid mentioning specific holidays, unless talking about celebrations explicitly related to that holiday.

2 - Encourage discussion and cultural exchange

Because so many holidays from so many cultures and faiths fall in the same month, this is a great opportunity to teach about human diversity. Encourage students and riders to be excited to learn about each other’s practices. Likewise, drivers should be ready to shut down anyone trying to shame or bully others for following the "wrong" traditions.

3 - Food is fun!

Sharing food is a major component of practically every tradition, so consider relaxing your rules about food on the bus. Especially if students are being encouraged to bring and share food from their own cultures/traditions.

4 - Be open to suggestions

The list above covers all the major year-end celebrations in December 2024, but there are always smaller faiths and traditions. If a student - or adult - mentions one of these less-common holidays, look for ways to include them as well.

Here's To a Great 2025

BusBoss wishes you, your family, and your coworkers the happiest of holidays - no matter which exact holidays you celebrate. Have a great December, and enjoy the sharing.

Come the new year, if you need help improving your transportation management processes, BusBoss can help! Click here to see our services, or just contact us to learn more.