Parents in Medway, Mass. are scratching their heads after their grade-school kids came home from school with news that Christmas had been watered down somewhat in local schools, reports the Milford Daily News.



After getting complaints from a couple of parents offended by religious themes, school administrators quashed a planned performance of several numbers from Jesus Christ Superstar during the annual holiday show. They also renamed the Christmas tree in one scene a "magical tree" and changed the kids' red and green elf hats to green and white elf hats to shy away from the traditional Christmas color scheme.



"The philosophy of the middle school is one of acceptance for cultural and religious diversity. The study of Jesus Christ, Superstar was approached from a strictly musical perspective," Middle School Principal Joanne Senier-LaBarre explained to parents in a letter sent home. "However, in retrospect, we understand that some members of our school family are uncomfortable with what they feel is a musical work that has religious ties."



Some parent were more than a little peeved.



"Aren’t we supposed to embrace each other’s differences?" said one parent. "If someone is trying to promote something that’s violent, that’s one thing. But they’re promoting a Christmas tree. The solution isn’t to take Christmas out of the (programming). The solution is telling people to lighten up."