Christmas as a child

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Babe can you smell it. I said

Smell what!!

“Take a deep breathe babe and smell it “
I said

Smell what babe? Is it a bad smell? He asked

No, it's just beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.

I don't know how to explain the smell but I smell Christmas already I don't know if anyone can relate?

I could almost already smell the cooking and gift exchange, I can feel the warmth and goodness too and it reminds me so much of my childhood Christmas.

Celebrating Christmas as a child was way different than celebrating Christmas as an adult now .You are bought gifts and clothes, given food just how you want it and whenever you want it but now it is the other way round, we are the ones now getting these items for the kids.

..how time flies...

so many Christmas memories and traditions that I miss looking forward to like;

My Christmas clothes:
there is no Christmas without a new dress, shoes, glasses, and accessories I don't know if that is how it works in other homes too but a Nigeria home is so important because we would want to show off our clothes to our neighbors and friends, how I miss those times.

Christmas Carol:
As a child, we rented or bought video cassettes or DVDs so in every shop immediately its December they starts playing Christmas carol and as a child, we lived close to a CAssette shop, so every day my family and I sing along to these songs and it was so joyful even as we walk down the street everyone sings along too.

Then the annual Christmas carol in our school and churches, when they would invite Santa Claus we knew it was one of our church members or teacher wearing the costume but we are just delighted in the outfit and we believe that it is “father Christmas “ like we call it here in Nigeria.

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they usually don't look that scary😏

Father Christmas takes a bag of sweets and throws them in the air and we struggle to get sweets from the floor. I was a posh kid if I must say I never joined the races or struggled for sweet and chewing gum now I am thinking about it I wished I did. Imagine all the goodies I missed out on the cause of being “Posh”

Oh, less I forget the most dreaded fireworks and Bangers, The only reason I dislike going out at night during Christmas. some kids just know how to bring out the fear in you and threaten you with the sound of bangers. I have seen first hand how damaging it can be so I run as far as I can from it but how long could I run, it was everywhere, in every street and every compound..it was a special announcement that Christmas is coming and it had a way to enhance the mood of the season.
As much as I don't like it I don't think I would like a Christmas without it.

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Another sweet thing I missed was visiting the neighbors, well I wouldn't call it a visit it was more like a trade of food and drinks, we take our food that my mum woke up as early as 5 am to make and take it to our neighbors we either get food too in return or we get money. The small change that we can use to get the sweet and chewing gum I missed from father Christmas. that 50 naira or 100naira mint was so important to me that I wake up early get dressed and wait for mum so I help her hold the food as we do our visiting rounds.

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My mother always had one tradition, that all her siblings in the same state with us must come with their kids to celebrate Christmas with us because we rarely see ourselves all through the year so after our morning visit we run back home to prepare for the family gathering. My mum has 5 younger brothers that are all married with kids so you can imagine the crowd in our house and the exchange of gifts too.

Most time, not every single person makes it for Christmas but subsequent days following Christmas we can expect anyone at any time meaning there must be always food or fingerlings to bite on for the visitor and I loved the fact that I had a lot of food at my disposal it was amazing.

Fried rice, Jollof rice, rice and stew, plantains, salad, and different soup and plenty fried meat and chicken. I always had toothache after Christmas cause of my excessive chewing of meat..but I loved it

Then the aftermath of all these is always on boxing day in the toilet, all the sweet mouth and excess food end up there but on boxing day there are always leftovers so after finishing with the toilet I run back for more and the cycle continues.

I miss my Christmas as a child I am sure you miss yours too

So tell me if i miss any Nigerian Christmas memory or share your favorite Christmas memory as a child.