Last year Christmas was spent with extended family. Coincidentally it was my aunt’s birthday as well as her marriage anniversary. It was a full house and one of the best moments of my life too.
The thing is, I had always thought life felt better as a loner, and I have always felt comfortable in my own company or that of my parents and siblings. Aside from my immediate family, I have never felt the need to be in any other forms of gatherings. But then with time, these celebrations that I spend alone or with my immediate family started to feel stale.
Notably, I started to feel like there’s always this void, like something was missing. So last year when we were invited for my aunt's celebration, it became clear the missing piece of the puzzle. Initially I would decline and just let my mom plus younger sibling grace it, but somehow I do not only feel the need to accompany my mom but also to involve all my siblings.
You know I used to watch a lot of Hollywood Christmas movies and how magical they portrayed Christmas. In fact, every Christmas movie draws us in to the cosy feeling of togetherness and family bond so much so that you would wish to be a character in the movies.
Well, last year I got to experience this cosy feeling in reality, and from then onwards I had told myself that every Christmas I must spend it in the company of other people. So this Christmas, although my other siblings declined, as my cousin who usually makes it fun with the outings would not be coming, I would be honouring the invite not just to spend Christmas with extended family but to shake off the monotony of work.
I have worked almost 365 days being stuck in one location; for the sake of my mental health, it makes sense to change environments. I had a lot planned for this particular Christmas, and I do hope I get to actualise all of them.
One thing that would be most interesting for me this Christmas is reuniting with a friend who I had fallen out with. I haven't seen her in almost a decade, and I really do look forward to hanging out with her and catching up over a few drinks or at the movies or probably at the beach.
While Eko is a fun place to be, it could also be boring with nothing planned. The previous Christmas I didn’t have much activity because my friends I had hoped to hang out with stood me up, so this year I am planning better such that even though my friends do not come through, I can still enjoy the holidays and celebration with my family while also exploring the city and enjoying every bit of it.
PS
ALL IMAGES ARE MINE.
