In assemblies last week, one of the RE teachers at Lady Lumley's specialist sports and languages college in Pickering, Mrs Paul, made the controversial decision to tell students that Christmas celebrations this year were cancelled.
Mrs Paul asked pupils whether the message of Christmas has been lost and buried under an "avalanche of commercialisation".
She gave examples of Christmas cards that bear no relation to the origin or meaning of Christmas but carry symbols we now recognise as associated with the holiday season.
The school explained that as a result, cards, gifts and Christmas activities are banned.
Mrs Paul asked students to consider the true meaning of Christmas and write to her, using the email address [email protected], with their "persuasive arguments" explaining how Christmas should be celebrated at this time of year to try and persuade her to change her mind.
Writing in the schools blog about Christmas, the headmaster of Lady Lumley's Richard Bramley said: "Christmas is a day about celebrating the birth of Jesus and should be a time of good will to all, yet it can be a very stressful, expensive, argumentative and lonely time."
The pupils have until Friday to try and change the schools position on Christmas celebrations this year.
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