Stephen Brand <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>The discussions about diversity and feeling the temperature starting to
get cooler in the north >makes me suggest a conversation that I believe is
very important, but sensitive, in our industry.
>
>I have had lots of trouble with this issue.  Since I don't celebrate
Christmas, I have always felt a >struggle with how we can make our holiday
environments more welcoming for everyone.  I believe >this is a big
challenge for both mission and market driven reasons.

<snip>

I think you've touched on a topic near and dear to the hearts of history
museum curators everywhere. My personal experience, however, has been that
only my non-Christian colleagues understand the scope of the problem of
presenting Christian holiday decorations in our non-religious institutions.
In fact, at one institution, my high level of discomfort over using our
(completely) tax supported budget to buy Christmas trees almost cost me my
job. I suppose it didn't help matters when I pointed out to the director
that celebrating a military victory (Chanukah) in the guise of pandering to
"other" holiday celebrations wasn't appropriate either. 

The only solutions that I have found to be fairly workable involve turning
the decorating into an opportunity to do one of 2 things:

1) involve community groups. You've already pointed out the shortcomings of
this method. Not every community group celebrates Christmas.

2) find some interpretive theme for the decorations and focus on that
theme. I worked for a museum housed in a Victorian mansion. The museum was
NOT an historic house but we used late Victorian style ornamentations
(peanut drops) and put up lots of interpretive signs in a (misguided?)
attempt to pretend that the decorations were really an exhibit. 

Eventually, I learned to keep my mouth shut as it was obvious that the
decorating was one of those projects loved by the Board and Administration
and it strengthened my resolve to find more appropriate activities when I
(as we say in Chicago) get elected king.

Diane Gutenkauf
Museum Consultant
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