Kwanzaa Gifts You Can Get Your Kids, Family, and More
Kwanzaa, pronounced kwahn-zuh, is the African-American week-long holiday from December 26 to January 1st. It’s a celebration of African-American culture and was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 whose most famous quote, “This is our duty: to know our past and honor it; to engage our present and improve it; and to imagine a whole new future and forge it in the most ethical, effective and expansive ways,” is a great reflection on what makes this holiday so special to so many people.
Each of the seven days is dedicated to one of the seven principles also known as the Nguzo Saba. The kinara holds seven candles which are lit one-by-one as the days pass us by in celebration. As those who celebrate light each candle, there are days when family, friends, and loved ones all get together properly to share in food, drinks, and gifts. We wanted to find Kwanzaa gifts that reflect the holiday and its tradition so you can prepare properly for this upcoming year’s festivities.
Celebrating the Seven Principles with Gifts in Tradition
In the intro we mentioned the Nguzo Saba, but we didn’t describe them, so before we go through the Kwanzaa gifts we’ve found, let’s take a look at them:
⚫Unity (Umoja)
🔴Self-Determination (Kujichagulia)
🟢Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima)
🔴Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa)
🟢Purpose (Nia)
🔴Creativity (Kuumba)
🟢Faith (Imani)
All cultural touch-stones that promote strengthening our bonds in our communities, families, and friendships. Here are the gifts we’ve found that we think would go perfectly for the 31st when zawadi is typically done:
A Kwanzaa Candle Set
Everyone should have a chance to celebrate with their own set of candles. Image courtesy of: Afriware Books.
Obviously we had to start the list off right with a chance for you to give out Kwanzaa candles to all of your family and friends. They might be taking part in the festivities at your home but that doesn’t mean they can’t light their own candles each day along with you. Afriware Books Co. sells a Kwanzaa Candle Set for $13.95. The easiest way to join in and celebrate properly.
A Kinara
You can’t have the candles without a kinara! Image courtesy of: Afrikan Attire.
And even more obvious, you can’t have the candles without the proper placeholder and that is of course the kinara. There are loads of options out there for kinaras, some are available commercially through big-box businesses, and others through places like Etsy. We decided to go somewhere in the middle by shouting-out Afrikan Attire for their Black Natural Wood Kwanzaa Kinara for $39.99.
Afrikan Attire sells clothing items, fabrics, kids stuff, jewelry, healthy & beauty, home, and gift- related products. This candle holder is 14.5" wide and 5" tall, and the base is 5.75" long and 3" wide so it will look great on any table or cabinet space you have.
A Unity Cup
Get a hand-crafted unity cup to celebrate the sixth day of Kwanzaa. Image courtesy of: Wisdom African Designs.
Via History.com: “The kikombe cha umoja is a special cup that is used to perform the libation (tambiko) ritual during the Karamu feast on the sixth day of Kwanzaa.”
On the sixth day, which is typically when the karamu feast happens, the “kikombe cha umoja” or- unity cup is brought out and to all those who wish, can take a drink from it which serves as a way to honor and remember those who have passed before us. Wisdom African Designs based in California hand-carves their own cups and their Kwanzaa Cup- Hand Carved Unity Cup (XLarge) is on sale for $29.95 (normally priced at $39.95).
African Art
A beautiful piece makes for a beautiful gift during the holiday. Image courtesy of: African Art Paintings by Richard Fosu.
One classic gift you can give to pretty much anyone celebrating Kwanzaa is a piece of African/African-inspired art. There are so many extraordinary pieces out there and the team behind African Art Paintings offer a resource where you can get authentic paintings of all kinds from artists all over the world.
Their website has so many which you can scroll through here, picking just one was difficult but our eyes caught Balanced by Richard Fosu which shows women in African attire carrying baskets of goods on their heads. Its richness really entices us and you can get this print too as a piece of wall art for, home decor, puzzle, stationary, phone case, towel, mug, and/or apparel. You can do that with any piece off of the Adrian Art Paintings website (prices vary).
A Book for the Kids
A perfect kwanzaa gift for a young kid who’s ready to learn! Image courtesy of: Barnes & Noble.
Kwanzaa is about spending time with family and oftentimes family involves little ones and although they may not truly appreciate the other more traditional gifts at the moment, getting them something so they can grow up to eventually appreciate said gifts is a really cool idea. Karen Katz, the author and illustrator of “My First Kwanzaa” at Barnes & Noble for $8.99 made it so kids can learn in simpler terms what this holiday means.
A Kwanzaa American Girl Doll
An American Girl Doll that’s just so ready to be opened during the holiday. Image courtesy of: American Girl.
American Girl Doll has been popular for decades now and a long time has passed since they’ve started expanding their horizons to create more diversity in their portfolio. In 1996, they created their first Kwanzaa-inspired dress piece and since then that specific dress has been retired but in 2025 there’s the Kwanzaa Celebration Outfit for 18-inch Dolls for $42.00.
This set comes with a colorful printed “cotton broadcloth” top, maxi skirt, and headband, a pair of black strappy sandals, a seven-beaded bracelet that reflects the kinara candles, a black plastic kinara and seven candles, a unity cup, a woven mkeka mat, and a small booklet that “highlights five different cultural celebrations.”
A Dashiki
Soft, colorful, and beautiful- what more can you want from a clothing item? Image courtesy of: D’IYANU.
Getting clothes for any holiday is such a classic move, but since we are celebrating Kwanzaa, it only makes sense that we get clothing items that are both stylish and symbolic. One such item is a dashiki which is a colorful garment worn on the top half of your body popular in West Africa. D’IYANU (dee-yah-nu) is a black-owned clothing company that specializes in top-of-the-line African inspired pieces like their Men's African Print Dashiki T-Shirt (Deep Maroon) for $37.00. And although it says “mens” it actually can be worn by anyone in the fam.
Jewelry
A piece that can be worn during and after the holiday celebrations. Image courtesy of: Afrikan Attire.
Just like clothing is a staple in holiday-gifting, so is jewelry and there are so many amazing jewelry additions to the Afrikan Attire online store like their Ivory & Gold Elegance: Double-Strand Statement Jewelry Set for $169.99. Featuring: “one elegant double-strand necklace, one pair of matching drop earrings, and one coordinating bracelet in an off-white ivory color” with “gold-toned filigree barrel beads that are covered in brilliant pavé crystals.”
A Platter for the Karamu Feast
Hand-made just hits different, especially when it’s something this gorgeous. Image courtesy of: Zawadi Arts.
When we’re getting ready for the karamu feast on the 31st, we’re going to need to get out our special plates and platters, but nothing is more boring than typical plain dishware. We have to bust out something like the Blue Platter | Potters Workshop, South Africa for $95.00. Hand-made with their famous “bead-like” patterns, this piece is completely dishwasher safe and can be used as a serving platter or a decor item when it comes time to sit for food.
Traditional African Spices
Can’t have under spiced food for the feast! Image courtesy of: Kanju Interiors.
Spice is where it’s at for food, especially when you’re cooking or “upping” the flavors of a delivered dish. We need our foods at the karamu feast to taste delicious from bite one to the final forkful. Traditional African spices will enhance any of your food’s flavors and we found this African Spirit Spice Gift Box Set for $46.00 from kanju.
The set includes Durban Curry, Jozi Chakalaka which is best for grilled or stewed meat, Savannah Grasslands which adds tangy lemon and garlic flavors, Ethiopian Berbere which is a “fiery” all-purpose spice, Tanzanian Pilau which introduces you to five distinct spices all blended to make a stew or meat pop, Kenyan Kuku Paka Curry, Mozambique Peri Peri is great for poultry, and finally Kalahari Sea Salt which will enhance any meal you add it to.
A Table Runner
Bring everything together for a beautiful day of celebration! Image courtesy of: One Napkin.
To top everything off we have something that’ll tie in the festivities as everyone gathers around the table to eat, drink, play games, and share stories with one another. From One Napkin we have a Kwanzaa Candles Table Runner for $30.00 which features a beautiful modern-like design of the candles used in celebration of Kwanzaa. Get this out and have it on your dining table throughout the entire seven days and re-use it again and again.
A Gift You Can Give for Those of Us Who Aren’t the Best Cooks 🍠
When it comes to the celebrations of Kwanzaa one of the main aspects is the food. Traditional foods and foods directly relating to one’s family and/or heritage is a huge part, but we have to take into account that not all of us know how to cook. We don’t want to just directly rely on foods we know like the back of our hands, we want to expand our horizons and one such easy way to do that is to order from African American restaurants local to your town as a way to show support and enjoy the festivities properly.
Show off your food to your family members!
Uber Eats has the biggest pool of local restaurants in its directory which means you can give the gifts of an Uber Eats gift card to a friend or family member who can get a little help setting everything up for the karamu feast or throughout any one of the seven days.
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Getting together with your family throughout the week celebrating Kwanzaa at the end of the year brings all kinds of joy. Hopefully we’ve found Kwanzaa gifts that’ll make the week even better.
