Posted by 
Dear Santa,
Life isn’t perfect but I know for sure childhood days felt perfect, especially during Christmas. I have never gotten over family reunions and having to eat, eat, eat till you are too tired to continue eating. Our favourite meat/protein was always chicken and what is Christmas without it anyway? Every Christmas Eve, my family and I often go to church in our neighbourhood and also join everyone to sing carols and study the bible. Then, as we head home, we stop at the shops on our street to buy Knockout (bangers). Then we lit them up and enjoyed the sound that accompanies it.
The following day Christmas day, we rush for the early morning Mass in our Catholic church and return home at 9 a.m. to do our cooking. Then, we share meals with our neighbours and wait eagerly for visitors to come around. Oh, we never forget to watch our favourite Christmas movie, “Home Alone”, because it ended the way we love. While watching a movie, we enjoy our rice, stew and chicken with a bottle of soft drinks. We live in Calabar, so, we wait till 4 p.m., so we can go to the Christmas village and watch masquerades, buy toys and play some fun games to win prizes. We never forget to look for the ice cream man and his truck because what’s Christmas without the kids having ice creams?
Well, those memories never go away but now as an adult, I mostly miss my mother’s cooking on Christmas day because she passed away some years ago. She was always our chef on Christmas day, making us all what we wanted because she wanted us to be happy. I think about her every Christmas because I don’t buy Christmas clothes, make Christmas hair as an adult or spend Christmas with her anymore. I miss having her around and I also miss having not to spend anything as a child while enjoying Christmas. And then, Santa Claus comes bearing gifts of great Joy. I miss the fact that I didn’t know Santa was someone we may know and see every day. We are always careful not to make Santa angry, as we fear he will not give us gifts. Now, as an adult, I know it’s someone’s brother, uncle, son or father putting on those clothes to make ends meet. He’s working for his money but I still love him because he makes the children happy.
I want to feel like a child again like when my mum was here and when Santa had gifts for us all without discriminating or making any child feel bad. Santa was always there for every child whether good or bad. Those memories are so dear to me and I know I won’t forget them anytime soon.
From Margaret.
_ _ _ _
The BellaNaija #FeelLikeAChild campaign, in collaboration with BreatherNG, presents the perfect opportunity for people to let go of adulthood, let their hair down and ‘play’ like a child for a day. Together with BreatherNG, we’re creating an unforgettable experience for 5 winners and their plus one this December.
The post #FeelLikeAChildAgain: Margaret Reflects on the Magic of Childhood Christmas, Missing Mum and Santa appeared first on BellaNaija – Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.
