For Ivie Eke, Christmas means many things. It is waiting, it is wishing, amongst many other things. Read on to find out all the other things that make Christmas special for Ivie.
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Christmas is waiting.
It is waiting to get that email from Human Resources telling me that the Christmas break will be from this date and end on that date. It is an expectant feeling, where I try to draw the line between being a hardworking staff and an easily distracted person who asks myself, ‘has the email been sent yet?’
Christmas is hoping.
It is the hope that this year’s Christmas would be better than last year’s Christmas. It is hoping that the weather would be tolerable, a mild form of harmattan at best. It is hoping that there would be no power cuts. Well, I mean the hope for minimal power cuts. It is Nigeria after all; let’s not get our hopes too high.
Christmas is wishing.
It is wishing that I can keep my heart rate in check when I enter different stores to buy Christmas gifts for loved ones and liked ones. It is wishing that I could multiply the balance of my bank statement by merely closing my eyes tightly. It is wishing that there would be no terror attacks in Nigeria during the festive period. It is wishing that I had large reserves of funds stashed away somewhere which I had completely forgotten about. It is wishing that a Good Samaritan would accost me and ask me what I want for Christmas (I would smile coyly at first, before handing him a typed list of my demands).
Christmas is eating.
It is making sure that I wear a dress which both flatters my figure and also has some space at the waist so I will not do it any damage. It is telling myself, ‘I will eat only a teaspoon of rice and a pinch of salad’, before I find myself knee deep in unlikely food combinations – MoiMoi and Egusi Soup, Dodo and Ice Cream, Samosa and Bitter Leaf Soup. It is that time of the year where I am asked to eat more, as opposed to being asked to eat less during the rest of the year.
Christmas is laughing.
It is laughing at jokes told by Uncles and Aunties, even though I have heard them before. It is laughing at inside jokes with my brothers that only we can understand. It is laughing with my younger cousins and wondering when they grew taller than me.
Christmas is loving.
It is remembering the birth of Christ, a reminder of a love like no other.
About Ivie
Ivie Eke is a Writer; you can find her poems, stories, and essays on her blog. She has also written articles for Genevieve and She Leads Africa. She is the author of the poetry collection, ‘Looking for myself and my phone charger’ which is available on Okada Books and Amazon Kindle UK. She loves writing, reading novels and eating mangoes.
If you would like to be featured in The Sparkle Writer’s Christmas Campaign, please send an entry of between 300-400 words telling us what Christmas means to you. Your entry must be sent with two pictures of yourself and your bio to [email protected]. We have limited slots left so send in your entry as soon as possible.
It was a pleasure writing this piece! Thanks so much, Sparkle Writers!
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Very good piece, keep it up.
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Thank you Sir!
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Christmas is waiting for friends like Ivie to send brightly wrapped gifts on the spirit of giving. Thanks in advance
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😂 you’re welcome
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The last sentence captures it for me, very brilliantly written.
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Thanks Gabriel!
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