Whose Holidays?

As we officially enter the holiday season, we as a country continue to struggle over an issue that was bound to confound an increasingly diverse society, the religion-based holiday. (Although, admittedly, even Thanksgiving, a completely secular holiday, has its detractors.) Local governments, and even the federal government, have added many holidays to the calendar over the years as various groups have claimed equal recognition under the law. But how many can one add before every day becomes a holiday? This question is a particularly tricky one for schools. Here in Los Angeles, we have for many years now referred to "winter break" and "spring break." As the latter is no longer tied to any particular religious celebration, it's scheduled anywhere from April to May, and heaven help the family that has children in different schools. Now other parts of the country are facing the same conundrum. I guess the question I have regarding a decision reached in Maryland's Montgomery County, is the immediate motivating factor: http://www.npr.org/2014/11/14/364117759/board-decision-revives-discussion-about-religion-in-public-schools
   More food for thought on the issue, this commentary by a professor of religious studies at Hofstra University contends that decisions such as Montgomery County's, and even L.A.'s, merely forestall a deeper, necessary conversation: http://www.uscatholic.org/news/201411/commentary-delicate-politics-school-holidays-29573