Is it ethical to have Christmas decorations around school, given that Christmas is a secular holiday and the Santa Claus figure has pagan origins, but also given that students of other religions may still perceive those decorations as favoring Christianity?

—Kevin Phan (12)

Christmas is a religious holiday. Despite supposed secularization of Christmas by commercial industry, it retains its Christian origins.

The Santa Claus figure has both Christian and pagan origins but is more closely associated with Christmas than pagan winter holidays. The name “Santa Claus” derives from “sinterklass,” the Dutch name for a mythical character based on Saint Nicholas, a Christian figure.

Because Santa Claus has religious connotations, public schools cannot display the figure without violating the First Amendment, which mandates the separation of church and state.

There are exceptions: in language classes, holiday decorations specific to one religion are acceptable, as teaching about a nation’s particular religion will give students a more complete picture of a culture.

While a Santa Claus decoration may seem like a harmless show of holiday cheer, its display not only offends other students, but also violates a basic principle of our country.

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