Generic Holiday Extravaganza! Oh crap, there are other holidays:

Before my friend Sami yells at me for not mentioning her winter holiday of choice (not that she reads this), it's time to put all of this in a broader perspective.

First, I really don't care what people say when I think of it this way. For me, it's Christmas time/tree/season. Sorry to all of those who celebrate other holidays, but American culture is so dominated by Christmas that it really doesn't make sense (for me at least) to identify this time of year than with the flagship holiday, which Christmas is.

In my defense, without Christmas, would the entire month of December (and most of November and, in some cases October) be dominated by these holidays? I don't think so, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa don't carry their weight like that.

I'm not trying to bash other religions (though I'll still get yelled at for it). You can call it whatever you want, that's cool. Can I just not get yelled at for it? In all honesty, though, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa don't really get a fair fight in this.

Hanukkah: Poor, poor Hanukkah. It's really not fair that tis holiday gets matched up against the grand spectacle of the Christian calender. In baseball terms, it's like the Jewish team's number four starter (we'll go with Carl Pavano) got matched up against Christianity's ace pitcher (Josh Beckett, so at least someone knows who I'm talking about).

It'd be nice to look at late December as a collection of the biggest holidays that different cultures have to offer; but, Hanukkah, Christmas' only real competition isn't even the most significant holiday (paling in comparison to Yom Kippur and Passover) for a group that is dwarfed by the Christian majority.

Kwanzaa: Ok, I'm sorry to anyone that celebrates Kwanzaa. At the time of writing this sentence, I have no idea what Kwanzaa is about, nor does anyone that I've asked. It is for this reason that is gets brushed to the side so abruptly and, in some cases, falls behind Festivus in the holiday pecking order. Hey, more people have seen that Seinfeld episode than know what Kwanzaa's about.

But, by the time I write some sentences further down, I hope to know what Kwanzaa's about.

We all know that, with about five minutes of research, we could find out exactly what Kwanzaa is about. But, if you're like most people I know, that five minutes is utilized in much more productive ways: Facebook, sleeping, stupid flash games...

However, I am willing to make that time commitment to research such a topic when I really should be studying for finals. So, here's a quick rundown of what Kwanzaa is.

My initial research has shown the following:

Wikipedia: “Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday celebrated throughout the world, honoring African heritage, marked by participants lighting a kinara (candle holder). It is observed from December 26 to January 1 each year.

“Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift giving. It was created by Ron Karenga and was first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967.”

Simple enough. But it sort of just sounds like an imaginary African Hanukkah. Let's delve deeper with some investigative reporting.

Kwanzaa.com: “This holiday is observed from December 26th through January 1st. Again its focus is to pay tribute to the rich cultural roots of People of the African Diaspora. Though first inspired by African-Americans, many of African descent celebrate this occasion today. Its reach has grown to include all whose roots are in the Motherland.”

Well, that makes sense, sort of like a “we're awesome” day like Independence Day, with less independence and more awesome. Not that a lot of independence is acknowledged July 4^th, it's mostly getting drunk, eating burnt hamburgers and watching your town's funding explode in mid-air.

Not that we've got the basics down, what does the word “Kwanzaa mean?”

From Believer's Web:

“The word "Kwanzaa" itself is man made. It is derived from the swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means first fruits. Karenga's history has it that the extra "a" was added to represent the seven children that were a part of his organization, (US Organization) as each child wanted to represent a letter of Kwanzaa. (Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, pg. 108.) “

Okay, so what have we learned? Kwanzaa is a seven-day long holiday created by Dr. Ron Karenga during the off week between Christmas and New Year's that celebrates those of African descent and includes the lighting of candles as part of the ceremony.

We cool.

Now, to put this all in context, aren't there candles everywhere during the HanaChrismaKwanzukah time of year? There are two out of the three holidays that incorporate them and people continue to put of the Christmas-based tree and call it a holiday tree. Put up some candles and call them holiday candles. Or, if people actual wanted be truly politically correct and incorporate all of the holidays, get a tree and put a menorah and a kinara with it. Wouldn't that actually look cool?

I just want my tree back...

-Nick O'Malley