Minnesota "Holiday" Parties

I went to Sarah's first grade Holiday Party at school this week. I rather like the way Minnesota does things. I remember going to holiday parties in Texas and the whole attitude was rather militant. Maybe it was me, but they always seemed too intent on brandishing their Christianity in the public square. Whereas, in Minnesota they're very nice about it. I mean, here they sing Christmas songs unabashedly in school - which is fine by me. But they also sang Hanukkah and Kwanzaa songs, which they certainly never did in College Station - and which is also fine by me.

I was talking to a friend of mine who just moved here from Salt Lake City. He said there they are awfully preoccupied with making sure that no religious influence mingles with the state schools to the point of it hampering the spirit of the season and, indeed, calling into all question the very sense of a holiday. It's not that there's some overwhelming feeling of political correctness in Duluth. It's just a kind of maturity that this is how things are going to be so we're going to make it easy on everyone. I rather like that. I also like that people here vote for Lizard People and Al Frankenstin[e].