How to Approach the Holiday Season Inclusively

Liz, Bath Mind’s Diversity and Inclusion Lead, discusses why it’s important to celebrate a diverse range of holidays at this time of year, and how we can be more inclusive of different religious and cultural beliefs.

The nights are getting longer, the shops are filled with chocolate reindeer and the holiday film re-runs are on the television, Christmas is almost here!

Despite under half of us in the UK identifying as Christian, Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter are meaningfully enjoyed by many of us. These occasions are also marked by national bank holidays to enable the enjoyment of these festivities.

And with 93% of British people celebrating Christmas, yet with 79% not celebrating the religious focus of the holiday, it seems apparent that we should be thinking about what cultural and religious beliefs these other individuals may partake in. Some argue that Christmas has moved away from its religious ties in their mind completely; 83% of Brits think that Christmas is more celebrated as a secular event (something that is not connected with religion).

While Christmas is celebrated by millions globally, there are also many other religious and cultural holidays that are celebrated at this time of year, such as Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice. Therefore, this season is an important and poignant opportunity to reflect on how to approach the holidays more inclusively.

Why is inclusion important when it comes to religious and cultural celebrations?

Acknowledging and celebrating these times of the year is important because they can help us to feel a sense of belonging, especially in workplaces and amongst our colleagues and peers.

Moreover, ‘religion and belief’ is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, placing a degree of legal obligations on employers to take steps to prevent discrimination against anyone for their religion or belief.

How can you foster inclusion at this time of the year?

There are many things you can do to ensure that you are prioritising inclusion, whether personally or professionally, during the holidays, such as:

Using Inclusive Language

Move away from religious greetings and celebrations, such as wishing ‘Merry Christmas’ or having a ‘Christmas Party’ and use more neutral, secular greetings such as ‘Happy Holidays’ or hosting an ‘End of year party’. This can help those with a range of beliefs to feel a welcome.

Celebrating Diverse Festivities

If you have staff who celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanza, Diwali, or another celebration, why not mark this in your office? This is a fantastic way to support colleagues from a multitude of faiths. It can also be a great opportunity for staff to learn about religions, cultures and customs that are different to their own.

Offering Flexible Time Off

The mandatory shutdowns that many workplaces enjoy over Christmas and New Year may not align with an individual’s religious and/or cultural beliefs. Allowing the opportunity to ‘swap’ these bank holidays and use them at another time to mark their own religious or cultural celebration is a great way to promote workplace inclusion.

Offering Alcohol Free Celebrations

Many people abstain from consuming alcohol for a range of reasons, including religious reasons, personal choice or the fact that they will be driving on that occasion! Hosting celebrations that do not center around alcohol, or having alcohol free welcome drinks at staff events can promote inclusion for a range of individuals who do not drink alcohol.

Mental health during the festive season

Whether you celebrate Christmas or mark religious and cultural holidays during December, it can be a challenging time of year for many people, despite all of the festivities. Therefore, it’s a good idea to be mindful that for some, this is not a joyous time of year. Some individuals may even choose to abstain from festivities with colleagues and friends altogether for a range of reasons.

Mental Health UK found that in a survey of 1000 people, 84% find Christmas or other festive periods to be stressful or triggering, and that 77% think their mental health worsens around this time of year.

Some reasons for this can include:

The pressure to socialise
Change in routine
Financial pressures
The short days and cold temperature

Some may be even more profoundly impacted, experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder. This can result in low mood, fatigue and changes to sleeping or eating habits. Additionally, activities that are usually beneficial for our mental health, such as exercising and spending time outdoors in sunlight, can be harder to do at this time of year.

The national Mind charity also say the festive season can affect our mental health in lots of different ways. This could be if Christmas is part of your life, or if it’s happening around you. It’s a time of year that often puts extra pressure on us.

Christmas could affect your mental health if you:

Wish you didn’t have to deal with Christmas or find it stressful because of other events in your life.
Feel alone or left out because everyone else seems happy when you’re not.
Feel frustrated by other people’s views of a ‘perfect’ Christmas, if these feel different to your experiences.
Feel like Christmas gives you something to focus on and look forward to and find it difficult when it’s over.
Look back at difficult memories, regret things about the past, or worry about the coming new year.
Feel overlooked, for example if you celebrate other religious festivals or holidays that get less attention.
Want to celebrate with someone who’s struggling.

If you live with mental ill health, there may be other reasons that you find Christmas tough. For example:

Your mental health might make it difficult for you to spend Christmas how you want
Some experiences during Christmas could make your mental health worse, or harder to manage. For example, if it triggers hypomania or mania
You might not be able to access services that normally help, if they’re closed over the holidays
Your usual routines may be disrupted, which might make it harder to manage your mental health

This time of year, can also be triggering and difficult to people for a range of reasons.

Being mindful of different people’s living situations is important, recognising that familiar tensions, mental health, SAD, financial strain can come into play at this time of year.

Head to Mind’s website for some tips for coping with the holiday period