JINGLE BELLS N LIGHTINS

This year I saw my first Christmas lights at the E-Centre in Yaba. They are not the prettiest light arrangements (as a matter of fact, if all Christmas lights look that way this year, I’d lose my thing for Christmas lights), but they drove home the point that Christmas is really here again.

I love Christmas for reasons that even I am yet to fully comprehend. I like the gifts exchanged with friends and family, if you come from that kind of background. I love the false sense of holiday that blows in with the wind in the month of festivity. Truth is that the real holidays belong only to students. If you work in a certain industry, the only way you get to partake in the holiday spirit is (a) if your boss is REALLY nice[‘ REALLY nice’ being a paraphrase for ‘close to a walk over’] or (b) if you’re a good looking female and your boss is male and…uh..hmm! If you eliminate these two groups of people, I guess the percentage of us left would barely make up an NYSC camp platoon.

Forgive my digression. I was talking about Christmas, not lamenting my unfortunate circumstance. Besides, considering the widespread laying-off of staff in the aforementioned industry, I’d rather have to go to work in December than not get to go at all year round. God forbid I spend Christmas thinking about my woes instead of counting my blessings and buying myself persents for every other blessing recalled.

So, I love to pretend that Christmas brings rest from whatever I do in real life. But what I love the most, what I really look forward to year in, year out, are the festive lights and decorations! Those lights transform our drab and even dirty streets to picture book materials, by dark. They almost make me wish the month of December could be a stretch of dark days and nights (pardon the religious irony).

I’ve pulled out and dusted off my easily excited Christmas spirit as banks and other business entities are bringing out the decorations from their stow- away places. I’m hoping that as Christmas creeps closer, people would be nicer to one another and traffic lighter. I’m hoping my boyfriend will devote his time to me and me alone (I know it sounds selfish).Now that I’ve gotten over my childhood confusion about Christmas and New Year being thesame holiday merely prolonged, I hope that Christmas gives a foretaste of an unprecedented and memorable New Year.

Last year, Governor Fashola made my day! He was so into the Christmas spirit, lighting up the city from end to end, I got confused about where he says his prayers. The best Christmas decoration last year was the nativity scene at Falomo. It was sooo un-Nigeria it caused hope to flicker in me. I felt like, if we could do that, we could do anything we set our hearts to. I hope there would be better decoration around Lagos but if last year’s decoration resurfaces…if I could like it last year, I’m sure I’d like it this year as well.

Eko o ni baje Ooooo!!!

P.S:

I'm really interested in hearing how you're preparing for Christmas. Let's Share! Send pictures and shout-outs - especially pictures with captions - to connect2nora@yahoo.com. I promise to post them on my blog as soon as I get them.

Merry Xmas Fellas!