As unlikely as it may seem, it looks as though we may have gotten over the big “Fall Holiday” flap of 2011. And not a moment too soon, we might add.

The hype and hooplah surrounding a certain internal memo that got blown way out of proportion is gradually dimming from our collective consciousness, having expended its fifteen minutes of fame in a grand fashion before ultimately suffering the fate it so well deserves. It has been duly debunked, ridiculed, and dismissed as fodder for self-appointed pundits and assorted humbugs.

What lingers still is the distasteful certainty that the core issue itself is far from forgotten entirely and will surely rear its head in some other way at a not too distant time from now.

History is a difficult thing to reshape. We cling to our myths and traditions, as our sense of continuity demands, while taking both pride and pleasure in these celebrations that many of us hold so dear. Certainly, a good number of inconvenient facts and contradictions to some of our core beliefs need to be debated, analyzed, and represented anew. But must we confuse and burden our youngest children with these unsettling issues?

Some would argue that social justice demands it, that the “corrected” historical record must be taught from an early age. Others would advocate letting our simple traditions go on as they have, regardless of who may object.

And so, as we dispute the true meaning of holidays such as Columbus Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, and further question whether or not, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, let us be aware of the more innocent among us who know best how to have a good time and pull together in the spirit of community and good fellowship.

Please, let’s not scare the kids.