It’s that time of year again where gift giving and celebration is in the air, at least for me. This is a month of spending time with my family, take some time away from school and swapping gifts with friends. This is how I celebrate the holidays during December, and there are many other celebrations going on at the same time.

Christmas is a holiday that tends to stand out in the United States. Retailers are a huge advertisement for the celebration as they have most likely already started setting up for Christmas at the end of Halloween.

Even our campus and city are prepped for Christmas long before the holiday is on its way. For example, the lights on the trees near the Clock Tower were hung and turned on before Dec. 1. The Rotary Lights at the La Crosse River Side Park were ready to go on Nov. 24 this year.

The United States pushes this holiday to the forefront and it brings about an important lesson for all of us here at UWL: remember to be inclusive. Christmas isn’t the only December holiday out there and it is up to us to be conscious of that.

There have been countless times where I messed up and told other individuals to “Have a Merry Christmas!” I didn’t realize the impact that statement had until I came to UWL.

Why is that problematic? Here’s why: Christmas is a Christian holiday, and although about 81 percent of Americans (www.pewresearch.org) do not celebrate it for that reason, there is still that applied identity to the holiday.

My first incident here on campus was when I told someone to “have a Merry Christmas,” and when they didn’t respond, I kept saying it. Little did I know, they didn’t celebrate Christmas and were uncomfortable with me assuming that they did. This happens to many people during the holidays, and even if the phrase isn’t meant to be harmful, it still has a serious impact.

What can we do to fix this issue? The best thing to do is look up other holidays that happen in December and be in the know. Imagine not celebrating a holiday that the majority does and being told to have a great celebration of that holiday. Does that sound inclusive? I wouldn’t say so.

Something that many Christmas celebrators might not know is that there are many other celebrations going on in December that deserve some recognition including: Mawlid el-Nabi, “an Islamic holiday that honors the birth of the Prophet Muhammad,” Hanukkah, “the eight-day Jewish festival of lights,” Solstice, celebrated by Pagans and Wicca believers through Yule “in which believers also honor ‘the winter-born king, symbolized by the rebirth of the sun’” (www.deseretnews.com).

There is plenty to be aware of, and it is important for all of us to be inclusive of these equally important holidays. So, take a minute to remember the other holidays that are occurring because not everyone celebrates Christmas.