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Across classrooms, holidays show up as stories, songs, recipes, colors and customs. For English educators, they also offer language tasks that build communication, intercultural understanding and community. The key is to celebrate in a way that’s inclusive, academically rich, and respectful of diverse beliefs and backgrounds. Here are some activities you can do this festive season with minimal fluff and maximum impact, each tied to clear language objectives.

Principles for inclusive festive learning

• Student choice: Invite learners to showcase their traditions, for example, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Eid, Hanukkah, Christmas, Día de los Muertos, Nowruz or a seasonal theme without a religious focus.
• Language-first design: Anchor activities in explicit objectives – for example, “Can describe customs and traditions,” “Can compare events,” “Can write instructions” – to ensure measurable progress.
• Do-no-harm approach: Provide opt-in alternatives, avoid stereotyping and create space for students who do not celebrate holidays.
• Representation: Use materials that reflect multiple regions and voices. Encourage translanguaging to deepen understanding and honor identity.
• Accessibility: Scaffold with visuals, sentence frames and leveled texts so every learner can contribute meaningfully.

Learning a new language opens doors to unique ways of thinking and feeling, deeply rooted in culture. As teachers, we have the privilege of guiding learners to these insights, helping them broaden their worldview.

When I first moved to Japan, I was struck by concepts like wa (和, social harmony), enryo (遠, restraint out of respect) and gaman (我慢, patient endurance). Discovering these ideas was energizing and made learning Japanese feel like more than just mastering a new language – it was about embracing a vibrant culture.

I soon found that many expats shared similar experiences. In my first year teaching in Japan, over 40 years ago, I met Marc Helgesen at one of the first JALT meetings. We connected over our shared interest in developing a revolutionary approach to language teaching in Japan – a kind of kakushin (革新), or innovation, that challenged the status quo.

Our collaboration led to many teaching experiments and, eventually, the publication of English Firsthand as a single-level course in 1985.