It's not bloody half term!

[Dotdashdottinghell]

Why / when did every school holiday become half term?

The half term holidays are February, Whitsun and October, not Easter, Christmas and thr summer.

People keep saying "Happy half term" or "Enjoy the half term" etc. Why is this an accepted thing?

I thought I was losing the plot wondering why every was calling it half term. I’m sure it’s not always be the case.

Well that's fine, but then don't say "We call it mid term in Ireland" as if everybody does it. You do, but it is not widespread throughout Ireland.

Take a deep breath. Why are you so worked up?

It's never about mis-labelling a holiday.

Have you discovered the true meaning of an Easter Holiday that is not half-term?

Most parents are just either working and/or finding cover for a non-school day, that they don't care whether labelled holiday or half-term - they just need to find childcare and get to work.

I prefer Pentecost, myself.

I noticed this happening a couple of years ago and now everyone seems to be at it. I want to shout ‘it’s the Easter Holidays you morons!’

Didn't notice

I agree, it also annoys me that we have got used to the US term "happy holidays" for the Christmas break.

I know the Easter story is a little gory at the start, but our little ones now think it is all about chocolate and the Easter bunny!. and Christmas is all about a fictional US version of Santa, and now the grinch and a naughty elf.
If we are to scrap Christian festivals, we should be reverting perhaps to seasonal solstices and equinox and harvest festival?
A few years ago, I managed a team of Indians - it was common for the outsource company to ship in programmers at pittance rates and once their English was good enough, push them on to the US. - They were Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs at various times, all totally bemused by our trend of pussyfooting around our Christian festivals so as not to offend. One Hindu had even offered to help at his children's school with a nativity scene only to be told they did not do that any more.

I get really bugged by this too! I know it’s irrational, it’s just so bizarrely annoying

It’s the end of term ( Spring term)
When we go back after the Easter holidays it will be Summer term. The next half term will be what used to be called Whitsun holiday.

People love to pussyfoot around Muslims. I know quite a few Muslims and they couldn't care less if we use the terms Easter and Christmas and Jesus. Many will have a roast dinner on Christmas Day and exchange gifts (to a lesser extent than many of us white British.) And I'm sure a few Muslim kids will be getting Easter eggs so they're not left out. This is my personal experience and one of my closest friends is a hijab wearing Muslim born in Pakistan.

Many will have a roast dinner on Christmas Day and exchange gifts (to a lesser extent than many of us white British.)

So there's no "white British" muslims?

It's nothing to do with avoiding saying Easter, it's just laziness of thought about what "half-term" actually means. I've seen people say "Easter half-term".

Only heard this a few times from my mum but I correct it as it's usually her getting muddled. I didn't realise it was a thing more widespread. I just say no half term was February it's Easter now. She has memory problems so has an excuse. If it was a school mum I would be surprised to be honest as they surely know the dates!

I disagree with your dad :-)

I gets x days annual leave in my job, I go on holiday when I leave my house for more than a night....

It’s annoying! My husband calls all school holidays ‘half term’ but that’s partly that he’d being lazy partly just to wind me up!
Slightly more concerning is that my DD’s secondary school seems to be confused about this this too - when it was Feb half term the headteacher wrote in the newsletter she was glad it was the end of term… then last newsletter gave diary dates describing the Easter holidays as half term. It’s not a good look for the school tbh!

This made me laugh @Dotdashdottinghell i work in a school and they’re all talking about half term instead of Easter. I think it’s just the pc removal of any Christian celebration which is ironic as we’re all well aware it’s Ramadan at the moment too. It’s chocolate egg time now and no one really knows or cares why.

It's what the kids are saying now. If you don't you're like the oldies that talk about "The Electricity Board" she they're with Ovo. (Me,)

Welcome to old age! You are officially "Cringe"

It is complete GB News conspiratorial mythical bullshit to pretend anyone is pussyfooting around Christmas or Easter. When do you think anyone scrapped the Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter? When did this happen and why didn't anyone tell me?

Christmas is never referred to as "the holidays".

Sometimes, people refer to the period of religious festivals which occur at the turn of the year as "the holidays" so they are also referring to Hannukah, Diwali, Yule etc.

Because the Easter school holidays (two weeks beginning Good Friday) are not the same as the public Easter Bank Holidays (Good Friday and Easter Monday in England) .

I'm afraid it's very much true..... in both my son and daughter's schools the traditional "Christmas House Festival" has been renamed the "Winter Festival" so as not to offend anyone. (It both schools this is an annual day of activities based around the school houses off timetable activities and fundraising etc).

1. Do you understand that "so as to include everyone" is not the same as "so as not to offend anyone"? Has the reason been officially given as "so as not to offend anyone."? I bet it hasn't.

2. Have all Christmas activities been cancelled? I bet they haven't.

I don´t agree, now instead of Christmas cards, we have Holiday cards. To me the holidays are the summer holidays. The rest are Christmas and Easter. I work for an American company and it is even more noticeable. Our Christmas cards say Happy Holidays, or The Holiday Season. A Moroccan friend of mine used to laugh at this. All this pussy footing around Christian denominations so as not to offend. She thought it was downright weird. Agree with her.

You see people say this, but I looked really really hard this Christmas and 99.9% of cards say Christmas, not ‘holidays’. And I think it’s fine for 0.1% of the cards to cater for those who want one that says ‘happy holidays’.

Gee thanks for your explanation, as a former teacher, I'd never have known 🙄

Easter still doesn't belong to schools though, it's "Easter holidays", there are other non-school people who have longer at Easter to you know!