Kent City — As teacher Alessa Cregg described the decorations and cultural customs that make up a traditional Christmas Eve in Denmark, her third-graders were struck by how different the country’s celebration is to the American holiday.
Many were wowed by the practice of lighting real candles — with real flames! — on the Christmas tree. Some were impressed that no phones are allowed at the table for the fancy holiday meal. Others expressed dismay that Danish kids “only” get three presents from Santa.
Patrick Spaman, though, was all about the food.
“I didn’t know they ate different, or like, weird foods for Christmas,” the third-grader said of the Danish holiday meal featuring sugared potatoes, warm cabbage, potato chips and roast duck with duck gravy. “I like food, and I like learning about the foods that (people in Denmark) eat because it seems like a unique Christmas. I really like meat and I would really like to try the duck and the duck gravy. I think I would like it.”
‘You never know what other students have experienced, even the kinds of holidays they celebrate, and you can learn something that way, too.’
— teacher Alessa Cregg
The third-graders’ lesson on Denmark was part of Kent City Elementary’s “Holidays Around the World” social studies curriculum, which gives students a chance to learn about global holiday traditions and cultures with which they may not be familiar.
For Cregg, who describes Christmas as one of her most favorite times of the year, the lessons she tailors for her students are personal. Over the course of three days, she gets to teach them all about the holidays in Denmark, Germany and Italy, based on her own experiences living with host families and enjoying the festivities there.
“It’s really cool to share my own pictures of the holidays in these countries, because I think it makes it real for (students) and they can ask me questions about it,” the teacher said.
As she was growing up, Cregg’s family hosted several exchange students over the years, starting with a teen from Germany and later welcoming more “siblings” into their family from Denmark and Italy. The experience sparked a love of travel and culture, and when Cregg was in college, she and her sister traveled to visit their international siblings and their families over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
“I love being able to share (the international experience) with students so that they can see there is more than just America in this world — especially here in Kent City, where you’ll notice that there is a lot of diversity here and not everyone speaks English,” Cregg said. “My memories are so precious and I wish I could go back there every Christmas because (the holiday) is nothing like anything I’ve ever done (in the United States).”
A highlight of the Danish holiday lesson — both for students and Cregg alike — was a tradition involving the family Christmas tree. As the teacher explained it, after dinner it’s common for Danish families to turn off the lights inside the house, join hands and sing carols while encircling the tree. Then, with hands still linked, the families dance throughout their houses to bring in good spirits for the next holiday season.
Cregg showed the third-graders a video of these festivities with her Danish family, but thought it would also be fun to recreate the scene in the classroom. Joining hands, they sang “Jingle Bells” while marching around a “Christmas tree” (aka the classroom table), then danced around the room in a holiday celebration to close out the school day.
Beyond offering a global perspective to the holidays, Cregg said she hopes such cultural lessons help reinforce the fact that not every person comes from the same background, and that such differences should be celebrated.
“(Third grade) is at that age where they start to notice differences in people a bit more, so it’s important to express that in a kind and understanding way,” she said. “I hope they’re learning that there’s more to a person than what they just see in front of them. You never know what other students have experienced, even the kinds of holidays they celebrate, and you can learn something that way, too.”
Read more from Kent City:
• An elective so fun, they don’t know it’s math
• Elementary attendance pledge signals commitment to learn
