My Fondest Christmas Memories

Christmas is a beautiful season, most people look forward to this time as the experiences during this period constantly change. Sharing with us Christmas memories that have stuck with them, are some of our readers.
Check on them:

Bright Azuh- Abia state
We had a Family Banger War
If you grow up in Nigeria, ‘banger’ should ring a bell. My fondest Christmas memories revolved around a banger war my family had with our close family friends whose house is directly opposite ours. We were at the village for our usual annual homecoming experience, I’m Igbo, we can’t do without seeing our village people every end of the year. My siblings would place an explosive inside a steel container, set fire in it and have it explode right in front of our rival’s front door. That banger war was a blast back to back.

The Christmas I almost got married
I just turned 18 and was in my Sophomore in University. I had returned home from my aunt’s place down the street this cool Christmas evening and seen this Prado Jeep in front of my house. It was my supposed husband to be and his whole family. He claimed he was driving by earlier, saw me outside the house and decided to go get his family to start the marriage process. Just so you know, we hadn’t met before. Playing my mum’s reactions in my head right now, how she was smiling sheepishly, I knew this wasn’t going to work but on the other hand, if I had married my rich suitor, I would have been traveling the world and living the real baby girl life right now.

Ezekiel Bassey- Akwa Ibom state
I think it was me and my brother that was home that day. Unfortunately, we didn’t use to have a lot of light. We started hearing the sound of a drumset, and the voices of children singing in Ibibio. So we thought that it was a church but the more we listened, the more it dawned on us that it wasn’t a church. So we wanted to find out how they got a drumset so we went through the bush path and found them. Guess what! They were using the 50 ltr kegs for the kick part of the drum, Milo tins as drums and plates for the cymbal sound. They had connected wires to woods to serve as a microphone. It was also there I realised that one of the children there was my cousin.

Mariam Joel- Gombe state
There is always a happy moment whenever it is time to travel to the village. The preparation is top-notch and traveling is always like a mini-picnic. It is also the time when I see all our family members that I look out for.

There is that celebrity feeling you experience when you get to the village. People will look up to you and want to hear you speak. The thatched roofs, sandy streams make it more fun.
Then, there is always the wedding eve, where the latest songs would be played over and over again and you dance till you are tired.

Family time is beautifully coupled with the carols. Often times, it is about the people and the noise (which I look forward to).

Olakunle Olaniyi- Lagos state
When I was single, I used to spend Christmas with friends. We’d attend shows and restaurants. As a married man now, my Christmas celebration has changed slightly. Last Christmas or instance, we had family and friends come to my home. We held a big feast so we can catch up on old times. After that, I and my family have our private time. I and my family went to the mall.

Jordan Kungaba- Taraba State
Going home every December makes the season interesting to me. The village setting is perfect and it makes us not want to wish for development in the village. This is because the village life is simple and far from civilisation.

There is nothing like the internet, good roads or good water, so we abandon our phones, ride on bicycles and go to the stream to swim. Also, the culture of dancing for the king is fascinating and one of the memories I hold dear. However, the king is dead and I wonder who we will dance for now.