7th December, 2010
The weather has suddenly changed. I can feel it all over me. Christmas is around the corner and there is this unusual rush that is totally different from what we know of Lagos. There is tension everywhere as people are struggling so hard to meet up with the demands of the season.
December happens to be the most anticipated month of the year. We live and work all through the year with the hope of enjoying the fruits of our labour at Christmas. Christmas songs are not left out as we wake up every morning to the wonderful tunes. I don’t know how you feel, but I know there is something about Christmas whenever the songs play. All over town we have Christmas decorations, beautiful ones. All these bring to our subconscious the reality of Christmas.
As women and mothers, we find ourselves spending so much time shopping for the family. Some women start shopping as early as October just to beat the market people to it. There are husbands who don’t care what the family eats or wears, but during Christmas, you see them making effort to give their families the best.
So many women have come up with endless lists of things to be bought in readiness for Christmas. There are women who will go out of their way to make sure their husbands know no peace until provision is made for all the goodies of Christmas.
But I want to ask you the same question I asked last year; what is Christmas and What is the gospel of Christmas? I believe in celebrations. I may not be the social type, but I love it when I see people rejoice for good. It is good, absolutely wonderful to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ because that was one birth which brought us salvation.
But there is another thing that bothers me so much about Christmas; are we really celebrating it the way we should? Are we not being selfish unlike Christ who gave His all? If truly our celebration is because of Him, shouldn’t we do it His own way? There was a time I believed Christmas was all about travelling home and cooking, eating, and drinking. I used to believe it is all about new clothes and parties, but I am happier now that I, to an extent understand the true meaning of Christmas. I still want to understand it better and do newer and better things as the years go by.
I am not trying to say Christmas should go without some merriment. I am saying we should do it in such a way that the person we are celebrating His birthday is pleased.
By this time of the year, so many Nigerian mothers are not bothered about their children’s progress in school. By the time their results are out, we care less about their grades all because we are so engulfed with the preparations for Christmas and the things they want us to buy for them that we don’t even know when they are ending the term. Is this what it should be?
Okay, let us look at the area of shopping; this is the time when we see men go through undue stress just because they must satisfy their wives. We see women ask for a change of vehicle, not because they need it, but because their friend got one from her husband. This is the season women tell lies to their husband and sleep with different men simply because they must look good and be envied during Christmas.
Christmas is one season when you see women do all sorts just because they must save for Christmas. By now, so many men have dished out money for all that is necessary for Christmas. Your man has given you money for clothes, food items, and so many other things. He has given you a specific amount for parents from both sides. But what is your plan? You have started making preparations to buy the poor quality for his mum while your own mother gets the latest design. This is absolutely wrong and should never be allowed to spring up in your mind.
What about your house help? You took that little girl from the village to take care of her. Now is the time to show how much you care about her. I know some women, in a bid to get their husband’s eyes off their househelp, put the poor, innocent girl under so much pain for something she has no idea about. Please stop making your house help look like a beggar while you adorn your own children in costly ornaments.
This is a season of love and love should be seen in all you do. Give her money to visit a salon for a very good hairstyle that is different from her regular didi. Get her clothes to suit her body type and stop giving her very loose, unfitted clothes just because you are afraid of losing your husband to her and you also don’t want her to be admired more than your children. You know what; if God’s hand is upon that girl, you can’t stop her from being admired. I once, in my journey of life, found myself in that situation where all efforts to destroy my self esteem saw me going higher and higher and getting more and more admiration from people. Even in her old, tattered dress, she can still be admired.
You have everything you need, but you see yourself struggling to acquire more. The truth is that most of the things we buy are things we don’t need. This is a season of love and sharing. My fellow women, it is Christmas, a season of love and sharing. We should go into our closets and fish out those clothes, shoes, and bags we have not worn for the past six months. It is time to give them to those who really need them.
Let us drop this mentality that someone is going to take them to a native doctor and use it against us. I don’t believe anyone has power over my life. I don’t even believe I can be hurt by anyone if God does not consent to it. Your labour of love will never lead to your destruction. I have been giving for years now, no one has hurt me. If your conscience is clear and you have no relationship with those fetish and powerless things, they will make no meaning to you.
Christmas is here for you to reach out to the less privileged ones. You are now planning on how to throw that biggest party in town with your high society friends in attendance. Just yesterday I told a friend that if I have to throw a party now, I have to invite the less privileged because they are the ones who are not used to such life. Think of those helpless ones around you; think of those old, weak people in your community. My dear, it is time to let them know someone cares about them.
Christmas is also the time of the year when we take stock of our lives. Tell me, what was your life like during the year? What are your achievements in the year 2010? When I talk about achievements, I don’t mean the number of cars you acquired, neither am I talking about the new business you started. Remember that song; fading away like the stars of the morning….only remembered by what we have done.
What are you going to be remembered for in the year 2010? Of what use were you to humanity? How many faces did you put smiles on? This to me is the whole essence of life. Plan for your Christmas, you made it to the end of the year and I agree that is a good enough reason to rejoice and celebrate. But in your celebration, don’t forget the reason for the season.
