Christmas & Family Tradition

“This year feels different”.

I turned to look at my favorite human perched on the half wall on one side of my compound, allowing my mind to ponder on the statement she had just made for a couple of minutes, before asking “Why?” She heaved her shoulders up and down in one swift movement.

Source
“The way things are going in this country, I doubt this December will take the form people want it to.”

“I think you should stop focusing on the difficulties at hand and concentrate on the good things. Think positive”

She bared her teeth that instant threw her head back, and reveled in laughing me to scorn. I feigned an angry look in her direction then stormed into the house when she wouldn't stop laughing. To think that I was feeling sorry for her when she was just trying to be dramatic made me think it wasn’t out of place to truly be upset.

She strolled in after a few minutes, drew two more rounds of laughter, then sat just beside me on the bed.

“So what was funny?”

“Dude! It's how you got all serious with motivating me.” When she rose, I knew she was going to replay the scene outside so I sat back to enjoy it. She hung her hip on my reading table to imitate herself sitting on the wall.

“I was like, the way things are going in this country, December may not turn out the way people want it to and you jumped right in….” She rose to stand beside the table, a funny expression that was nothing like how my face looked, graced her face. “Weep no more child. Focus on the good things….”

That was it for me. I tossed a throw pillow at her with all my strength and rose to chase her around the house, both of us shrieking like primary school kids. We flopped onto the bed three minutes later, panting heavily amidst giggles.

“But on a more serious note, what's your plan for this December?” she went silent for some time before rolling to lie on her side. Her face was a few inches away from mine.

“I don't know yet. I'm not sure I'll be traveling this year. I don't have money to go and spend in the village”.

“But I thought it was like a tradition for you to travel at the end of every year? How would your family feel when you don't come this year?”

“Who dey follow una get family tradition?” Her sudden outburst in pidgin drew laughter from both our lips. “My family is not like yours that has structures everyone is dedicated to following. Even if they make it a tradition today, no one will take it seriously.”

She was right. My family had set certain structures in place that no one had ever dared to break, and one of them was that every single member of my nuclear family had to return home at the end of the year no matter where in the world they were.

“So what's your plan? Do you want to stay in your house all alone during Christmas? What about the New Year celebration?”

I saw how swiftly her countenance changed and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. It made me remember my first year at the University. At the end of the year when I was to return home, I didn't have a dime on me and for the first time, I thought I wasn't going to be home to observe our Christmas ritual. It was the same way I was lying sadly on the bed.

“By the way, have you picked your gifts yet?” It was also a custom to return home with either a general gift or an individual gift for every single person. I shook my head in the negative.

“I don't have the money yet. I've not even prepared a gift list. The worst that can happen is that I'll get a packet of sweets on my way home.”

I allowed my heart to drift off into imagination, coining up the events that were likely to happen upon my arrival at Port Harcourt. I saw my niece and nephew running up to me, their arms open with eager excitement.

I saw my older brother, his arms laden with gifts in his usual show-off manner. I saw my sister, her face lighted with smiles, welcoming us all with warm hugs. I imagined my mom, glasses perched on her nose calling for my younger brother to assist with our gifts and pieces of luggage. Then the chef of the house, my brother-in-law, set the table with plates of fried chicken and every other tasty goodness he had up his sleeve. I heaved a sigh. In a few days, it would be Christmas.