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CalCare 12:37 PM 07-17-2019
I don't do any holidays, but I do let the family bring something on a bday if they want to- I don't tell them to or ask them to or anything. It's fine, we don't have any that don't do bdays (like witnesses or anything).
I prefer to do everything according to natural seasons not religious holidays. So instead of Easter themed time is spring and instead of Christmas, it's winter etc. Celebrations are things like Stone Soup in the Fall, going with the theme of harvest season and sharing with friends and family (goes with the idea of Thanksgiving, but not involving it). And we do family snack time every three months which has been great and that's where we all get together and enjoy snack and playtime and families chit-chat but doesn't have the holiday implications of a Christmas party or Easter party or Valentine's party etc.

I began doing it this way when I worked with a witness and I thought it made sense to eliminate all all holidays in my own program since I myself am atheist anyway. Then when I learned more about nature curriculum and following seasons, I moved more of that in.

They did do holidays at the college I went to for ECE. They did rotating holidays each year. So one year they did all certain ones and tried to be diverse of course (for example dia de Los muertos in October for year one and Halloween for October for year two, etc). That way they thought they were inclusive while also keeping holidays because holidays are a big part of the child's life and experience when it's happening. To me, it's just not big, I don't like it. So, I choose to do none and "Celebrate Life Everyday" as my friend quoted her daughter once.
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