by Cal Wilson ‘14

In an attempt to pull residents of the United States together, Senators Bob Corker (R- Ten) and Kay Hagan (D-NC) have proposed legislature to create the national holiday of Christ-ukah-nzaa. The suggested holiday incorporates a collection of the holidays Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. If Christ-Ukah-Nzaa becomes a national holiday, students will have off school on every December 19.

Christ-ukah-nzaa was first brought before the Senate November 28 by Corker and Hagan, who claimed it would bring Americans together spiritually without establishing a national religion.

“In times of trouble, like today, the American people need something to bring them closer together and form a better nation. [The new holiday] could be what the people of the United States need to grow closer,” said Hagan.

“Other countries have made up holidays that bring the country together, like Boxing Day in Australia,” said Corker. “It’s the 21st century and the U.S. needs a holiday uniting its people.”

The proposed holiday is not expected to pass through the Senate because other senators on both sides of the aisle believe there are more important matters to discuss than holidays.

“We have more work to do than worry about passing a holiday that has no importance to American history whatsoever. Issues like the economy or the War on Terror should come first, not a holiday that will give our youth another day off,” said Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois, one of the leading voices in opposition to the bill.

Christ-ukah-nzaa would be a national holiday in which all schools would be closed on December 19 for students to spend time with family and friends exchanging presents and singing Christ-ukah-nzaa songs. Corker and Hagan even proposed setting up Christmas trees, hanging corn on the tree as ornaments, and placing a menorah on the top to represent the combination of three major holidays coming together as one. As a final touch, Corker suggested wrapping the tree in a U.S. flag to symbolize the unity of the nation.