All I want for Christmas
Feliz navidad
Feliz navidad
Feliz navidad
Prospero año y Felicidad
I wanna wish you a merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart.
Yes, it’s that season of the year again when people unwind, wine, dine, make merry and are jolly.
It’s a time when many people take time off work to enjoy themselves with their family and loved ones. Yes, it’s Christmas and it’s the 2024 edition!
We give thanks and praise to God for the opportunity to witness another Christmas celebration. Yes, indeed we have every reason to appreciate God because not all those who were here last year are with us. We have lost so many loved ones this year.
It is not a time to brood over losses and love ones but a time to take stock, reflect and try to restrategise going forward.
Christmas is that time of the year where we see economic activities at an all-time high. There is so much hustling and bustling with plethora of activities going on. A time you see people running around and trying to make ends meet. The young, the old…no one is left out. No matter how unbothered you think you may be, there is just this spirit behind the season that makes you want to be a part of it.
It’s a time of holiday for virtually everyone. It is even more so as it comes at the end of the year. So many activities combine with the Christmas season at the end of the year to make it memorable.
Celebrated every 25th December annually, it is in honour of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, who was born to redeem mankind from their sins. The Christmas season is a time for family reunion where family members travel from far and wide and converge most times in their ancestral home. It is a time for weddings, annual general meetings, and even burials for some. This is because they feel that more people will be around to witness whatever occasion is being held.
Move round countries around the world and see the glee on people’s faces. There is the rush to buy all the things that are needed to celebrate the season-the clothes and shoes to be worn by adults and children, the Christmas decoration, food, and all that will make the season enjoyable.
People look out so much for this season as this is the time some people get to actually rest. With the stress of work and school, there is the need to unwind, relax and rejuvenate. There are some fun activities that are packaged for the season.
During the yuletide season, there is always a tremendous increase in the prices of goods and services. Business and shop owners who deal in all kinds of things from groceries to clothing, jewelry and shoes, to fashion designers, hairdressers, etc; everyone wants to use the season to do some brisk business and make some cool cash.
In Nigeria with the present state of the economy and the hardship the people are presently passing through, how to celebrate this year’s Christmas will only be imagined. But for Nigerians who are always suffering and smiling, there will certainly be a way out. Gone are the days when people used to make contributions to kill and share cow meat. With the cost of chicken feed, the cost of an average chicken is about N18,000 to N20,0000. Even with the ‘so called’ minimum wage being paid with one hand and taken by the other, the people are in for a long thing.
Prices of goods and services are astronomically high. The salary which many people are dependent on cannot and will not take them home; how then can they make purchases for their families? The cost of transportation during this season is always almost over the roof. Transport operators want to make it big with almost 200 percent increase in transportation fares. What will be the fate of Nigerians who want to travel this season with the high cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly referred to as fuel? Only God can tell.
While some States have paid the December salaries of their workers, some State governments are magnanimous enough to pay the 13th month salary which can be termed leave bonus to their workers. Kudos to them. At least this will motivate them to put in their best and celebrate well albeit in moderation because the first and longest month of the year, January, will be eagerly waiting for the people.
In spite of all these preparations, what does the Christmas season portend for us especially the Christians? The Catholic Church has made it so beautiful with preparations for Christmas beginning from the Advent Season. It is the time of expectation of the birth and or coming of Jesus Christ. The Advent season is a time for deep reflection and introspection. While we mostly look at the material aspect by making preparations, there is a spiritual side to the celebration. Do we really take time to reflect on that? What spiritual plans did we make that we did not keep? How did the journey with our maker go? What did we do to sustain our relationship with our creator? It is to really be a time of assessment and re-evaluation.
This brings me to all I want for Christmas. I want family settings filled with all the joy, laughter, happiness, hope that our hearts can take. I want a situation whereby family members or friends who have lost touch over the years and probably are not in good terms get reconciled and begin afresh. I want a situation where we look out for the interest of others, try to do good to others, give a thought to the interest of other, try to make people happy and put a smile on someone’s face. I want a love that is true, selfless and sacrificial. I want a better country where people do not need to know your tribe, creed or religion before you can be attended to or related with. I want a Christmas where we place humanity first before any other thing.
As it stands, this year will be a little bit difficult for some families as the state of the economy is nothing to laugh about. For those that have a little extra, why not give that out rather than waste such? If you have good clothes and shoes to spare, why not give them out to those in need? There will be families who may not have anything tangible to eat on Christmas day, what will you do for them? There will be people who will be in the hospitals, will you find time to visit them? What about that widow around you that is finding it difficult to put food on the table for her children, will you be the one to bring God’s love to her family?
Let love which is the essence of Christmas (because God is love), guide us into sharing with those who don’t have. Do something different. Look out for families in dire need. They must not be people you know. Put a smile on someone’s face. Try to be generous with the little you have as there is love in sharing. Above all, let love lead.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
