I have had many good times during past Christmas seasons, right from when I became sensible as a child to this stage of adulthood. It is very difficult to pick just one out of the many beautiful Christmas seasons I have experienced. Nevertheless, one good memory I cannot forget in a hurry was not just a one-year Christmas experience but a stretched one that lasted about four to seven years.
When I was in secondary school, we lived in a family compound (an extended family compound), and there were many people living there—both family members and other tenants. There was a well-to-do uncle who once lived with us in the compound but later moved his family to the city. However, they still kept their house in the compound, and that was where they stayed whenever they visited. He had children who were our age and also some who were older than us.
During those Christmas seasons, it was always on another level whenever this family came down to the village to spend the festive period. It has been many years now, but those memories are still very fresh in my mind. Whenever they arrived for the festive holidays, the entire compound automatically took on a new colour, scent, and vibe. Their kitchen automatically became our favourite spot—not just because of food, but because of fried chicken.🥳
Apart from the food and drinks, we always received clothes as gifts from them—not from the parents, but from the children themselves. Surely, they were wealthy; we all knew and understood that. So, they usually came to the village with plenty of clothes for us, both brand new and fairly used ones, and we gladly accepted them. The only thing we could offer in return was a strong bond of relationship and foodstuffs from our farm, most especially yam—and not just any yam, but the very uncommon “yellow” yam.
Whenever the festive season was coming to an end and they started preparing to return to the city, there was always this feeling of low vibes about how quiet the compound was going to be. And truly, whenever they left, everywhere became very quiet. The funniest thing is that, in my family, we are actually many, plus other people living in the compound, yet the compound would feel “dead” immediately after they left.
Whenever Christmas was approaching again, we would always look forward to having such an experience once more, and that is really the beauty of Christmas—having friends and family around to eat, drink, laugh, and create lasting memories.
As at the time of drafting this post, one of the cousins I wrote about just messaged me unexpectedly, asking about the family. She is now a big lady, and we had not spoken for about two years 😅.
I am very far away from home, and one of the reasons I love travelling home for Christmas is to keep creating such memories. We no longer live in the family compound; we now live on our own with Mum and Dad, with only a few siblings staying together in the village. Anyone who comes around during Christmas means a lot to them—and to us who are far away as well. In years to come, the moments we are sharing today will become the best memories for some of us.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Week 196, Edition 03 of the Weekly Featured contest in Hive Learners Community
Image: MetaAI
