December Diversity

December 24, 1999

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On December 24, 1999, The San Francisco Chronicle published an article on how several two-faith families celebrate multiple holidays. Vicki Roberts, who is Jewish, and Mark Roberts, who is Christian, combine the decorations of the house for their two daughters, who are being raised Jewish. Vicki stated: "Sure, half the house is decorated for Christmas, the other half is for Hanukkah...All it means to us is that we love the celebration of Christmas, the lights and the smell of the trees and candles. It really doesn't occur to us that we are celebrating the birth of Christ. For us, it's just a nice celebration." Shobha, who is Hindu, and husband John Hiatt, who is Quaker, present both traditions to their daughter Sarita when they celebrate Divali and Christmas in their Berkeley, California home. Shobha feels that she is giving her daughter a rich spiritual upbringing: "The most important thing we as parents can teach a child is universal tolerance." Jeannettee Inkabi, a resident of Richmond, CA, is a Catholic who celebrates both Christmas and Kwanzaa: "Many people think that Kwanzaa is a religious holiday, a kind of substitute Christmas for African Americans...That's really not true at all. This is a time to give thanks for the traditional African harvest, and to celebrate African American heritage and culture. Many people celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa."