half a day's notice!

[EbwyIsUpTheDuff]

A friend texted to say that the school had sent her a text (I don't get them, which is frustrating since I've opted IN for them) to say the children need to wear "something christmassy" tomorrow, I.E. a christmas jumper or similar.

It's another fundraiser.

half a day's notice. I can't get into town at short notice like that, most parents need notice. and I'd resent paying out £s for a christmas jumper for my child to wear ONCE in order to donate 50p to charity.

My poor friend has to find christmas clothing for 4 kids!

My son and I don't even celebrate christmas.

It's not like I can just pop out and get a pagan festival jumper for him to wear to not feel utterly excluded by this. So instead of wrapping presents and tidying the room ready for solstice this weekend, I'm now going to spend the little bit of energy I have on tacking some greenery to a jumper for him, because he'll be disappointed if I don't.

WIBU if I make him a Holly King head dress and send him in with that on?
WIBU to email about their policy of inclusion and the lack of notice?

Oh and my husband never celebrated either - He is from Albania which was an independent communist state and all religion was banned. The authorities created instead a secular calender - one being the New Year celebrations with a special meal, family and new clothes for the children. Therefore his cousins do not do Christmas either. It is not always religion but the lack of

lol robins and candles woulds be fine, pity I can't draw! if I tried that it'd look like he'd done it!

OP what I have done us to keep a white tshirt in the cupboard for they sort of emergency.
Then I
Do some quick drawing on it (Christmas tree or whatever) to fit the requirement if the school. It saves a lot if hassle and worries.

NOTE: having done that before I have found that I was the only parents to do that. All the others had 'bought' stuff or nicely made ones. As my dcs got older, I'm finding that there is usually ONE child like this in each year.

Will you speak to the teacher/HT about it to let her know the timing was too short?

the short notice is ludicrous. Also, why weren't your school doing this on Wear A Christmas Jumper day (for Save the Children) which was last Friday, seems a bit odd.

But I find some of the comments on here about the jumpers themselves a bit odd. I bought DD a Christmas jumper last year - it's not a crazy novelty one, just a normal jumper with a Christmassy pattern. So she wears it quite a lot in winter, and is wearing it again this year because I had the crazy foresight to get one which would last a couple of years. Hardly a waste of money.

I really do think that if you choose to live in a country with certain cultural (even if they're not very religious these days) traditions, you can't whinge or shout 'culturally excluding!' if you don't personally follow them but your child's school want to get involved. At DD's school they did hand painting for Diwali and lots of relevant colouring in (though I doubt there's a single Hindu child in her class, it's very multicultural in terms of race where we are, but the predominant religions are still Christian) and I'm sure they will for the other main festivals the main religions, but they still go all out for Christmas because, at the end of the day, we live in a Christian country and it's the main festival. I wouldn't expect to live in India, for example, and expect to see anything more than a nod to Christmas but then moan because everyone was celebrating Diwali and my child was asked to come to school with something related to that.

[That's not all directed at the OP, btw, but to others on this thread.]

Perhaps they didn't send you the text on purpose. You didn't get one so stop fussing and just send him in as normal.

I will definitely be speaking to both the head and his class teacher about it.

I am usually the ONLY one making costumes for the kids ("why couldn't she just buy him something from the disney shop instead, poor kid?" by the usual commenters when I sewed him a cat-in-the-hat costume for world book day in nursery)

and no, it wasn't deliberately missing me off the texts - I never get any of the school texts. Despite going in and giving them my number twice.

I don't whinge about diwali, christmas, passover, or any other celebrations for which they do activities. Learning about religions is good, helps people understand each other.

Again, my complaint isn't that it's christmas, it's the lack of notice.

Then print off some images from t'internet and trace over them like I did.

Grade D every year in art at secondary school and proud of it !

Not the same as lack of notice - but DC's both have class Christmas parties this Thursday - non-uniform and bring a snack, but DS also has Tudor day 'dress as a Tudor and we will be making Tudor food' and that evening it's the school disco '£2 entry and bring money for juice, hot dogs, goody bags and sweets'. DD doesn't go to disco yet, but DS will be sick by the end of the day I am sure, he's a glutton.
Add to that I need to go into town three times that day (baby-scan and work, collect DS take to opticians, then drop at disco and go to WI Christmas party) and it's my Christmas fuddle at work...sheesh.

Not complaining about the fun, just wish it was spread out!

TheFriar genius tip! Plain white tshirts can be bought for under £2 from amazon, and I have fabric markers already. Thank you!

I think schools still think that we live in a time where mothers didn't work and could go in search of items or knock up a quick outfit by the end of the day.

Are there absolutely no children from other religions that don't celebrate Christmas at your DS's school? There are quite a few at my son's school - Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus and those who follow Islam. So there is always more than one child not wearing a Christmas jumper or bringing in Easter eggs.

dress as a tudor! hope you got loads of notice for that one, Jenni

the white tshirts is a great tip (will be buying some when I have spare cash) so I'll be using that idea at some point.

All the Christmas jumpers I have seen have pagan images on. Reindeer, snowmen, ruddy great puddings.

I haven't seen one with a Nativity scene on.

no, his teacher said that he was the only one! I was surprised too.

YANBU about the lack of notice though, to answer your actual question!

Marciplex I have! can't remember where though.

Just seen your last post. In that case, they definitely should have said something to you earlier, as they surely would have realised that he'd be the only child with nothing Christmassy to wear!

How does he feel about glitter? You could sprinkle some over his school jumper as you leave the house. It'll stay on for ages bloody stuff is still around from summer in my house and sparkle is always festive.

During anti bullying week a few weeks ago, we had a text at 8.17am that the children should wear yellow.

School starts at 8.40am

Surprisingly, I didn't have time to go out any buy any yellow clothes.

wow iloveitthere definitely wins!

he loves glitter. he's still annoyed that I wouldn't buy him glitter covered trainers (he already had trainers which fit)

at worst, I'll cover a top in it and that'll do.

Why didn't you customise his trainers?!!

Just kidding, that would have been a complete nightmare.

because I'd run out of PVA? lol

OP, I have an idea.
Get a stencil for a robin. Get some fabric paint from hobycraft and paint it on, with some snowflakes.
easy piss.

hobycraft is open till late, and just get a plain red jumper or something.
primark at the moment near me are doing Bambi with a santa hat on.

Do you do presents and a big meal on the 21st ? Genuinely curious.