For most Nigerians, Christmas is a season for hosting of extravagant events, attending unending glamorous parties, indulging in expensive shopping and vacationing, engaging in social media show off of real and unreal gifts. There's also the usual exodus to country homes and villages where huge sums of money are donated or pledged during launchings and meetings for different feasible and infeasible projects. It is always a season to "loud it" in order to be seen as the happiest person and biggest spender which is why many are wondering how we are going to celebrate Christmas in the face of the daunting hardships plaguing us.

When I published the post, Recession, Christmas and You in 2020, we all thought life was hard and survival was a feat reserved for the brave. We struggled, wept and felt it would be our last woes. Sadly, the swift movement from truly bad to worse has left us yearning for the years we dreaded. The current situation in Naija has made us to realize that indeed, the difference is in the taste. Infact I'm guessing that if a poll were to be conducted many would want this years Christmas season postponed. Survival is now a huge task the fittest cannot even achieve and most of us are wondering if it is not wise to set aside the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in the face of our despairs.

"Aagaghị eji maka mgbagbu ghara ọgụ" is an Igbo adage which literally translated as; one cannot abandon a battle because of death or the fear of being killed. As such we cannot relent. However, something needs to give. Hence, since we obviously cannot continue in our old paths due to our new economic realities, the question we need to be asking ourselves at this point is; what do we truly need for Christmas?

This Christmas season, instead of the usual giving of or expecting to receive expensive gifts, spending limited funds to pepper some people who do not care or faking it till we make it, all we need to focus on is cherishing and making better the perfect gift we received from God which is our country Nigeria. This is the only trusted and best way we can ensure the celebration of many glorious Christmas seasons in the near future. We need to start working towards building a better nation for ourselves and our children by re-learning how to shun corruption, saying no to sharp practices and all forms of evil/illegalities and demanding for good governance from all levels of government. We must learn to love ourselves, appreciate the uniqueness of our diversity and be ready to advance our great nation despite the pitfalls.

That, my friend, is all we need for Christmas🎄