Kwanzaa came about as a result of Christmas because, being from Nigeria, Dr. Karenga found it difficult to relate to American traditions, and so invented Kwanzaa as an alternative to Christmas. But Kwanzaa has different concerns specifically tailored to the black community, and comes the day after Christmas. Often Kwanzaa celebrations are conducted in churches and parochial schools, where Christmas is celebrated.

It was invented ten years before congress made Black History Month official in February (just a month after Kwanzaa) and before it became well known. Black History Month seems to cover many of the same themes and subjects as Kwanzaa. I think most who celebrate Kwanzaa do so after Christmas as an adjunct to it. I believe most Kwanzaa acknowledgement happens in schools and not in private homes. Considering all this, I can't imagine that references to Christmas would be interpreted as insensitive to the black community, as the vast majority would be acknowledging Christmas anyway. Nevertheless, a typical response to Kwanzaa by some well meaning outsiders is to think that a "Happy Kwanzaa" salutation is more appropriate than "Merry Christmas". This is reflected in a letter to the editor in the local paper this December, from the chair of "Tree Lighting" of Amherst, New Hamshire, when she states " We can rejoice and say "Merry Christmas " to our Christian friends,"Happy Kwanzaa" to our African American friends, and "Happy Los Posadas" to our Mexican friends". Automatically it's more politically correct to omit a Christmas greeting to a minority community and replace it with other greetings whenever possible , even Las Posadas, which is a Mexican Christmas tradition, not some other holiday. This gives an impression that these communities aren't celebrating Christmas as well as perpetuates the idea that Christmas is only a religious observance for Christians. An elementary school teacher in Florida , Linda Zidonik, states on the school's web site "Since about ninety five percent of our students are African American, we make a point of acknowledging Kwanzaa, through an adaptation of the Nutcracker Suite. The children love performing The Nutcracker, but the story doesn't have a lot of relevance to their lives. A few dancers explain to the audience that they celebrate Kwanzaa instead of Christmas and they talk about Kwanzaa. Other performers say they celebrate Hanukkah and talk about Hanukkah. Each year we do a project called "Around the world". It offers an opportunity for learning about the winter holidays and celebrations from other cultures". There' s no mention of how she has determined that ninety five percent of her students celebrate Kwanzaa and not Christmas. Typically, Christmas, as surrogate, supplies substance so that other holidays can express themselves. As there's no mention of Christmas except the statement that it's not part of the show, I must assume it is excluded from a ballet that was created because of Christmas, and from the class exploration of winter holidays.This seems wrong to me. Anyway, I've never heard of anyone going to see The Nutcracker ballet because it was socially relevant." Visit Linda Zidonik's web site. I don't think people who celebrate Christmas should feel responsible for making sure others have observances other than Christmas to celebrate.

Ramadan, the month of fasting, is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and a time of worship and contemplation. Sometimes it comes in December but more often it doesn't because the months of the Muslim calendar revolve around our calendar year. The fasting ends with a three day holiday when gifts are exchanged. As with Judaism, images are forbidden.It is doubtful this holiday will make an indelible mark on December because of it's intermittent nature. The general public is unlikely to keep tabs on the Islamic calendar to know if it comes in December of any given year or not. In 2004, The National Study of Youth and Religion concluded that 0.5 % of Americans identify themselves as Muslim.

The cornucopia that is supposed to fill December with untold riches of diversity seems less bountiful than touted. There is natural interest in filling in December with observances due to the comprehensive measures that have been undertaken to remove Christmas. Somewhere along the holidayization path more critical consideration should have been given to the ideals of diversity. Why do these ideals necessitate equivalence in size and visibility of observances? Is it a sound pursuit? What is gained or lost by it?