Kaimhill School in Aberdeen has faced criticism for renaming traditional Christmas cards as "winter cards" to promote inclusivity. Parents have expressed dissatisfaction, with some calling the change unnecessary and others alleging it excludes Christian traditions. The school defends its decision by emphasizing its commitment to a multicultural and multi-faith community, but this stance has led to contentious discussions on social media and criticism from educational campaigners like Chris McGovern.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Kaimhill School in Aberdeen, Scotland, has sparked controversy after replacing traditional Christmas cards with "winter cards" to promote inclusivity. A parent criticized the change, prompting backlash from critics who argue it excludes Christianity. The school's response was to remind parents that Kaimhill is a multicultural and multi-faith community, valuing diverse traditions. Despite the debate, Aberdeen City Council confirmed that Christmas parties and other themed activities would still take place at the school, indicating that Christmas remains an important part of its celebrations. However, one parent reported severe criticism toward staff, describing the level of hatred as "vile."
Written for “Winter Cards Controversy” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 63391: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-10-07
A ‘woke’ Scottish school has caused a row after replacing traditional Christmas cards with Winter ones.
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school → cause → ones
Kaimhill School, in Aberdeen, renamed the seasonal greetings to ‘reflect inclusivity’.
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School → rename → inclusivity
But critics have called it ‘madness’ suggesting the practice is ‘exclusive of Christianity’.
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practice → call → Christianity
The backlash has been so severe, that one parent said it has led to school staff being faced with ‘a level of hatred that’s genuinely vile’.
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that → say → hatred
A mother queried why the school had emailed parents telling ‘your child will bring home their winter card designs today’.
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child → query → designs
She wrote: ‘I have friends from other schools that have received this exact email, [the] only difference is the other schools have used the term Christmas card, not winter card.
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schools → write → term
Could someone explain why this is?’
uncertain
this → explain → ?
Kaimhill School, in Aberdeen, renamed the seasonal greetings to ‘reflect inclusivity’
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School → rename → inclusivity
The school as replaced traditional Christmas cards with Winter ones
In response, the school emailed all parents to ‘remind’ them ‘that our school is a multicultural and multi-faith community’.
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school → replace → them
The letter added: ‘We value and respect the diverse cultures, beliefs and traditions represented within our school.
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We → add → school
To reflect this inclusivity in our communications, we refer to seasonal cards as “winter cards”, rather than “Christmas cards”.
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we → reflect → cards
‘This terminology helps ensure that our language is welcoming and inclusive of all members of our school community.’
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language → help → community
The school clarifies that ‘families are free to refer to these cards as Christmas cards if they wish’ and thanks parents for their ‘understanding and continued support in helping us foster an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone’.
But the email, which was shared multiple times on social media, had not been well received by every parent.
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which → clarify → parent
One mother said: ‘I’m all for multiculturalism, but this is a bit much.’
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this → say → multiculturalism
Another claimed it was ‘taking all the fun out of Christmas’.
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it → claim → Christmas
Chris McGovern, chairman of Campaign for Real Education, branded it ‘woke madness’ and a ‘suppression of language’.
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McGovern → brand → language
He added: ‘The stranglehold of political correctness is slowly but surely robbing Scotland of its Christian identity.
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stranglehold → add → identity
‘Christianity has defined Scotland since Saint Columba arrived on the island of Iona from Ireland in the 6th century.
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Columba → define → century
It takes us back to the celebration of the pagan, pre-Christian winter festival of Yule which was banned by the Scottish parliament of 1640.
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which → take → 1640
’
But one mother defended the school saying the term had been ‘blown to such an extreme’ with ‘innocent teachers and staff receiving disgusting phone calls and emails’.
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teachers → defend → calls
Head teacher Susie Webster was forced to issue a second email to parents on Wednesday in the wake of the backlash, insisting that ‘Christmas continues to be an important and much loved part of school life’.
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Christmas → force → life
She said the school ‘believe it is possible to celebrate cherished traditions, such as Christmas, while also being mindful and inclusive of the different cultures, faiths and believes represented within our school’.
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it → say → school
But she told parents: ‘If your child has heard conversations about this issue and is feeling worried, please reassure them that Christmas at Kaimhill School will continue just as it always has.’
Aberdeen City Council confirmed that a range of planned events, including Christmas parties and themed activities, would still be going ahead.
A spokesman said: ‘The school community enjoys celebrating a number of festivals and Christmas continues to play a large part in Kaimhill School at this time of year.'
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Christmas → tell → year
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