First of all I would like to add to that fact finder reason for calling it "Christmas Break" being legal...

Our very own United States Constitution says it is legal to call it Christmas Break for 1. It says so right in the First Amendment. I quote;

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits from making any laws "respecting an establishment of religion", prohibits from making any laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion, prohibits from making any laws infringing the freedom of speech, prohibits from making any laws infringing the freedom of the press, prohibits from making any laws limiting the right to peaceably assemble, or prohibits from making any laws limiting the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Now thats pretty black and white as far as I am concerned, point being? All these people who were making such a fuss over the scene of the manger with Joseph, Marie and lil Jesus.
People and businesses have a clear right to display that stuff, says so right in our Constitution. Just incase anyone missed that constitutional right, here it is again; The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits from making any laws "respecting an establishment of religion", prohibits from making any laws prohibiting the free "exercise" of religion. So please if you're a regular person or a business, put up the nativity if you want and tell those others to go climb a rope or something.

It is naive to think that the only reason for winter break is Christmas. I think many people are unaware of the large Jewish population of the area. FYI, most Jewish people do not celebrate Christmas and are bothered by the fact that Christmas gets better PR than Hanukkah. I guess my point is, there are other people bothered by designating the break for Christmas than just Muslims or Buddhists(which do exist in northern Michigan), and calling it Christmas Break is inconsiderate.

Keep it Christmas, its our heritage. It is a sad day that we even have to discuss it.

Christmas was Christmas till the non-believers hijacked it and now call it Holiday Period and brought in Jolly ole St. Nick...

St. Patricks day was St. Patricks day till non-believers hijacked it and now use it as an excuse to get stinking drunk in public...

St. Valentines day was St. Valentines day till non-believers hijacked it and made it a hallmark & Florist day...

Easter was Easter until non-believers hijacked it and turned over to the bunny rabbits...

Non-Believers feel the need to be included in Christian Holidays, but are not willing to acknowledge the reason for the day...

Let them call it whatever they want, I know that December 25th is the day that we celebrate as the Birth of our Lord and Saviour and will continue to celebrate it as such:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. John 3:16

What's wrong with calling the end of December "Winter Break?" That way we don't offend those of other faiths. I am a Christian. I'm not crazy about people forcing the "Happy Holidays" on us instead of "Merry Christmas." I know there are non-Christians who may not like people to wish them a Merry Christmas but they can just wish me a Happy Hannuka (sorry about the splling). I will not be offended. Or, they can just not respond. It's up to them.

I bet there is NO complaint at work when you get double time!! I honestly think this is PETTY!! Honestly everything went to HELL when we took the fear of God out of our children's lives. Weather he or she exists!! So call it what you want BUT it is when everyone got a few day's off of School to celebrate........even if it was to celebrate the fact that the bible was wrong!! I don't care what your belief is if you truly believe you don't need the rest of the world to justify what you believe in!!! So just let it be!! Really there is only ONE judge and it is not ANY of us!

Aren't there more important things going on in this world without arguing about what to call a school break?

I cannot believe people really care what it is called! Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?

Cheers to the Petoskey Board and those that support this issue. It is IMPORTANT to ALOT of people that are tired of getting p/c jammed down our throats! JEERS to Ian the moron, Judy the putz, and Peter the pumkin eater. Shame on YOU!

Ithink that as a state with one of the highest unempoyment and they economic resetion we are in weshouldnt be wasting time or money to rename a school break.Put the money and time wasted for that to schooling needs,art,jym,after school stuff ,stuff that parents have to pay for out of there own pockets.like when i went to school i paid for no sports,art,music???????that wasnt that long ago 1991 to be exact.

Christmas has been declared a federal holiday; that is why the break is given at that time. Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, etc. are not federal holidays and are not the reason for the break. Therefore, Christmas Break would be most appropriate.
On another note, if the term Christmas offends you and you don't believe in it then don't celebrate it! It amazes me how many people are offended when you wish them a Merry Christmas yet they still celebrate it with gift giving and family gatherings. I don't believe in Halloween, therefore my kids and I don't celebrate it. However, I'm not going to freak out if you wish me a Happy Halloween.
How about the teachers and students that don't believe in Christmas and are having a fit about calling it such, just don't take the vacation?

It's Christmas Break! Time to celebrate the Birth of Christ, with friends and family....period!

Get a life Yankees. The state with the highest unemployment in the country and you guys are worried about some petty crap like this. No wonder Michigan is LAST!

I am getting so sick of having to desensitize the world. Christmas is Christmas. Whether you celebrate it or not, it is there and it exists, and it is the reason school has to be closed. School doesn't have to be closed for winter????

The Petoskey School Board has the courage to stand up to those who want to take religion (Christian, Jew ,Hindu etc.) out of our lives and our children's lives. They hide behind the term POLITICALLY CORRECT and I am sick of it. To bad more people dont have their courage.

The media needs to stop pandering to this unending political correctness mantra this country is on. The Petoskey School Board must have better educational issues to concern themselves with. Enough!

I would like to thank the Petoskey School Board for having the courage to stand up to those people who want to take religion (Christian, Jewish, Hindu etc) out of the USA, like the communists did in Russia.
These people Hide there motives behind the Term POLITICAL CORRECTNESS. They want God out of the pledge and from our currency They want our children to be raised without any faith.
Iam Sick and Tired of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

Christmas break has been called that for a long time because that is what it is. We get time to celebrate Christ's birth with our families and friends.

I agree with all the comments so far. It is time we get God back into schools. Look at all the violence in schools since He was taken out. CHRISTmas is celebrating Christ's birthday. We don't take our name out of our birthdays. We celebrate Washington, Martin Luther King Days so why be different on Christ's day?

If this is even an issue with Petoskey's School Board, the citizens of Petoskey need to, at the very least vote the board out at the next scheduled election. What a waste of time when so many other issues are certainly more important...PC needs some attitude adjustment. And focus should to be put back on teaching the children and helping their families' challenges in these tough economic times. Don't invent problems - Michigan has enough already! Focus on kids!

Let's call it what it is --- a break because of Christmas! Political correctness has gone too far.

A rose is still a rose! A spade is still a spade! For goodness sake, call it what it is and what anyone(who still has any benefits),gets paid for "CHRISTMAS" not Winter Break!

does the school realize that they have a major budget crisis? why in the world are they wasting their time with this? it is really unimportant because as a student i have found that it could potentially be called "Happy Abnormal Red Leprechaun day" and nobody would care!!! the school board should be working on relevant subjects not stupid things like what to call our break in winter. i think winter break sounds better anyway.

Christ is the reason for the season---------Christmas Break

We should keep it as Christmas Break. It is Christmas even in areas that don't have snowy winters! AND it is a celebration of Chris's birth!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I totally agree with everyone on here so far...it is CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!

What is the point of having Christmas if it is not going to celebrated the way it should be...reaqainting with family and friends while celebrating Jesus' birth?

If you look over the years, we have gone from saying "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays" to what now if we can't call it Christmas break..."Happy Winter Holiday"? I DON'T THINK SO!

I always try to say Merry Christmas because that is what it is and that is that. This "religion" debate about EVERYTHING is getting WAY out of hand.

Everyone knows that we all get a break for CHRISTMAS. As a college student I look forward to Christmas break so I can spend time with my family and friends, not worry about what its called. I am a different religion than most, and I don't care what you call it! Christmas break is what it always has been and always should be...Simple!

The holiday is Christmas. Petosky schools aren't telling students what to do on Christmas break, so there is no problem with separation of church and state. To deny that nearly everyone celebrates Christmas one way or is simply absurd. For me and my family, we will be celebrating the incarnation of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

We are off school because of Christmas and its about time that everyone is complaining about the truth. Instead of sueing or arguing grow up, shake it off and go on living. People need to grow up and relax about such petty things. There are far more important things to worry about.

If the time off is because Christmas Day is a required day off, call it what it is...a Christmas Holiday. This country was founded because of the desire for religious freedom so let us celebrate the birth of Christ; and the laws of the country were based on Christian principles. Granted there are some who are trying to wipe out Christianity, don't let it be you. Stand up for your beliefs.

The break has been called Christmas Break for years and was originally created as time off for the Christmas Holidays. There are those who claim that to continue to call it "Christmas" break is to promote Christianity, and is unfair to those who are not Christains. To change the name to "Holiday" or "Winter" break would in essence promote Athesium, and be unfair to us Christians. So what to do? Since, I believe, that the majority of Americans are still Christians, it would be correct to keep it named Christmas Break. Why change it to appease a minority.

Mike

I agree 100% with Russell Jenema's comment. If it weren"t for Christmas, there would be no need for a break, so call it what it is...CHRISTMAS BREAK!!

This discussion is silly. What we celebrate is Christmas. We are off school for the Christmas holiday. Therefore, the break is indeed...Christmas Break. Everyone knows it...the parents, the children, the teachers, the store owners. The vast majority of our population goes to great lengths to celebrate Christmas... they decorate, they buy presents, they eat candy canes, they hang stockings and many go to Christmas Eve services where they sing Silent Night and read Luke chapter 2. The whole notion that we can't call it what it is, is just ridiculous. Merry Christmas! :)

Really? The Petosky School Board doesn't have better things to do than worry about whether or not their school vacation is called "Winter Holiday Break" or "Christmas Break?" Don't they have falling enrollment? Don't they have more and more students on free or reduced lunch? Don't they have to worry about retaining teachers in a slumping economy? Don't they have to worry about making the "No Child Left Behind" qualifications? Funny, as a veteran public school teacher and mother of two, it seems I've always had to worry about these things...not something so trivial!

This is Simple...It is a break for Christmas, lets call it what it is!

Growing up it was always Christmas break and Easter break and over the years they have made so many changes and taken away so much from the schools that I really think they need to stop and think about what they are doing. The more they take God out of the schools the more shootings and killings we see...

When I was growing up in Wisconsin we had Christmas break and Easter Break. Everyone knew that those days off happened around those holidays so no one had any objections to those terms. Then "political correctness" happened and, even though the constitution does not mention the term "seperation of church and state" someone decided that God should be removed from the lives of all people by banning any "religious" references from the official calendar of events. Gee. What happen to calling a pot a pot and a kettle a kettle? If the break comes around a holiday why not say what the break if for? Christmas break is a fine turm to use because that is what the break is about. Christmas and family, period. This is still a christian nation no matter what someone else might say and as such the holidays can be named as such without a problem. People can personally call them whatever they want but they shouldn't take away the traditions of the nation because of their personal preference. Thank you.

When I was growing up in Wisconsin we had Christmas break and Easter Break. Everyone knew that those days off happened around those holidays so no one had any objections to those terms. Then "political correctness" happened and, even though the constitution does not mention the term "seperation of church and state" someone decided that God should be removed from the lives of all people by banning any "religious" references from the official calendar of events. Gee. What happen to calling a pot a pot and a kettle a kettle? If the break comes around a holiday why not say what the break if for? Christmas break is a fine turm to use because that is what the break is about. Christmas and family, period. This is still a christian nation no matter what someone else might say and as such the holidays can be named as such without a problem. People can personally call them whatever they want but they shouldn't take away the traditions of the nation because of their personal preference. Thank you.

If the schools want a break with an unimportant title, give them new years eve, and new years day, and thats it! If it wasnt for christmas they wouldn't have a break at all. It is a christian holiday and i'm already sick of people calling it x-mas. If it were a jewish, muslim, hindu, or any other religious holiday; and people tried changing the name of it, there would be a huge argument, if not a racial/religious war about it. Remember the cartoon with the muslim learder,whom i wont name due to respect for his people, took place? that was a huge dispute. So the break in december should be Christmas break! It is the birthday of Jesus, who christians worship. Everyone can complain about christmas, but christians let the other religions have their freedom. The United States was founded for religious freedom, which is for everyone, but everyone picks on the christians all the time. Whats up with that?