According to the Pew Research Center, 92% of Americans celebrate Christmas every year. Out of that number, 52% celebrate it for religious reasons,  while 32% consider it more of a cultural holiday. Only 9% decided that they do not have an opinion either way on whether or not Christmas is a cultural tradition or a religious celebration. Anywhere you go, you will come across holiday decorations, Christmas music, or holiday season ads around this time of year. All these things may seem harmless because it appears that the majority of Americans celebrate Christmas; however, this is not necessarily true. The same research center found that around 4% celebrate the Mexican tradition Fiesta of Our Lady Guadalupe and the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. While these holidays may seem insignificant in comparison to the glamor of Christmas, they are very important to the people who celebrate them annually.

  We have to consider that people may celebrate a different religious holiday or do not celebrate anything at all. Recently, a school district in Oregon decided to ban Santa Claus/religious themed decorations in their schools during the holidays. The staff there received a notification that the district had made the decision in order to be more sensitive and respectful of different perspectives and beliefs. It seems some people may find it offensive to decorate public places with religious holiday things, but some do not really care either way. Pew Research Center conducted another survey in 2015 on what kind of greeting Americans prefer during the holiday season. They found that 46% say it does not matter, 42% say “Merry Christmas!” is suitable, and just 12 percent prefer “Happy Holidays!”  Senior Shahadah Battle said, “It’s a good idea to be respectful and keep in mind that not everyone has the same religion as you, and some people do not celebrate the same way. So, I agree with having a formal greeting like, Happy Holidays.” Generally, we need to be aware that America is full of different types of people who do not all share the same beliefs and customs. Around this time of year, everyone should acknowledge other’s holiday habits and be respectful to all.