Hi Jamie and welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
I'm terribly sorry you were having a difficult time when trying to book dining reservations at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Just to double-check, I searched for dining reservation availability for a party of 4 at
Boma - Flavors of Africa,
Jiko - The Cooking Place, and
Sanaa during the months of December and January. I found plenty of available times.
The issue could be as simple as a glitch in the system when you happened to be searching. Stitch has been known to cause a bit of chaos with Walt Disney World Resort websites. It could also be the size of the party or the time of the reservation you are seeking. It is more difficult to find available reservations with a larger party. I am hoping if you check again you will find more available reservation times. If you are still having an issue, I suggest calling the dining hotline (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 for further assistance.
Jamie, thank you for visiting us with your question. I hope you'll let us know if we can help you with any other trip planning questions.
Wishing you a magical vacation,
Amy H.