Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrated by millions of African Americans each year from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966, the holiday is a celebration of heritage and family.

• Umoja, or unity-To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

• Kujichaguila, or self determination-To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

• Imani, or faith-To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

• Kuumba, or creativity-To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

• Nia, or purpose-To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

• Ujamaa or cooperative economics-To build and maintain our stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

• Ujima, or collective work and responsibility-To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.

Items families purchase when celebrating Kwanzaa:

• A candle holder to hold the candles that are lit during the Kwanzaa celebration. This is called the Kinara.

• A placemat which is recommended to be made of straw. This mat will hold all the items of Kwanzaa and is called the Mkeka.

• Fruits and vegetables. These are known as crops or Mazao. It is recommended that ears of corn be purchased to represent the number of children in the home. Popular fruits and vegetables that are native to Africa include cucumber, honeydew melons and musk melons. Other fruits often used are bananas, plantains, mangoes and peaches. Some people purchase colorful baskets to hold the crops, or fruits and vegetables

• A communal unity cup known as Kikombe cha umoja.

• Seven candles (one black, three red and three green) to represent the colors and principals of Kwanzaa.

• Zawadi, or gifts that enrich the lives of others. These gifts are often symbolic and include books and heritage symbols. These heritage symbols can include traditional African art, music or jewelry.

Where to find Kwanzaa Gift items

Kwanzaa items can be found in several places but you won't find the traditional candles or unity cup at your local retailer. Kwanzaa greeting cards are available almost anywhere cards are sold. Target and Wal-Mart only sell books, videos and music related to the holiday. A search of www.kmart.com returned no items related to Kwanzaa. If you are shopping for Kwanzaa items locally, call a specialty store or card shop.

There are many online sources where you can purchase what you need to make your celebration special. The most popular (and perhaps the most obvious), is www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org. This site was created by the holiday's founder, Dr. Maulana Karenga. If it is your first time celebrating Kwanzaa, or if you just want more information about the holiday, this is the site you want to click on first.  

You can also find many Kwanzaa items at www.shopwiki.com. You can choose the item you are looking for and you will be directed to online stores that sell the items.

If you want beautiful, hand carved items for you Kwanzaa celebration, look no further than www.tike.com, or The International Kwanzaa Exchange. You can find hand carved Kinaras and harvest bowls. A unique gift for children is a game based on the seven principals of Kwanzaa. 

You will find several suggestions for the perfect Kwanzaa gift on www.gifts.com. The site features unique gifts such as a Kwanzaa doll and a tea set that commemorates the holiday.

Traditional auction and online marketplaces such as ww.ebay.com and www.amazon.com also sell traditional Kwanzaa items. The best bet if you are looking to save money is to buy these items months before the holiday, since many sellers will ask for top dollar as the holiday gets closer.