It’s now barely a week to Christmas. So this is an appeal to those thinking of not spending Christmas with loved ones: perish the thought for God’s sake.
My experience of not spending Christmas with loved ones still gives me jitters anytime I think of it. What got into my head that year to do something so stupid?
Okay I recall what happened. I was just fresh into University and enjoying my independence from my parents for the first time in my life.
So to take that new found independence up a notch, I took a decision to visit our country home for Christmas alone. Incidentally, my family weren’t going to come to the village that year. So it was perfect for me.
So I thought.
In the village, I was well received. As is normal with village folks. Then they got back to doing what they normally do everyday and left me alone.
This was the first time I knew the real meaning of alone and lonely. There were no distractions for me. I just wasn’t into the village thing; all serene and laid back.
And there were no siblings to play pranks with and exchange stories.
To cut a short story even shorter, all the excitements of Christmas eve, Christmas and Boxing Day was completely absent.
I was so depressed I am sure I must have cried. I left even before new year. And I swore never to make the mistake of not spending Christmas with loved ones again.
What Christmas is about
Though Christmas is primarily a Christian affair celebrating the birth of Jesus, it now cuts across cultures.
It is normal to see even non-Christians getting into the spirit of the period. It is now a universal holiday.
The modern day Christmas is now about loved ones and family. Whole towns and cities annually come together on this day to reaffirm the universal human family and celebrate the things that bind us together.
Seriously, you don’t want to be coped-up in a remote location while the whole world is celebrating love. Except of course you are used to that sort of thing.
But if you grew up like I did knowing about the fanfare that is Christmas, you would be very miserable not spending Christmas with loved ones. Just like it happened to me
Pros of spending Christmas with loved ones
1. If you read carefully, you noticed I mentioned all the fun that are related to this period. You don’t want to miss any of that.
You want to be part of celebration that is so unique no other event even comes close to it.
2. The main thing about Christmas is that family, friends and loved ones come together in one happy celebration.
This is one time you get to re-connect with people you have not seen for a long time. It is one of the unwritten rules of Christmas that one has to make time to visit as many family and friends as possible.
Because of the business of trying to make a living daily, it is possible not to have seen several acquaintances all year long. So Christmas is the time to make up for that.
3. Spending Christmas with loved ones would ensure you never get lonely or depressed just as it happened to me in that year of foolishness.
I mean, your loved ones are around. The possibilities for you are endless. You can take your partner to places you two have never been to before just to surprised them.
So even if you have to travel to a remote place, do take your partner with you. Christmas is definitely not a time to be alone or lonely.
4. And of course there is the food. When I was a kid, I always looked forward to the various dishes brought by family and friends on Christmas day.
There is so much food one is spoilt for choices.
Even in hard times, family, friends and loved ones always seem to find enough money to make the best dishes to be shared to others.
Sometimes, it almost seemed like a competition who would cook the best food at Christmas time.
Of course, you are advised not to go on a binge eating spree though. I must say that in the presence of all those dishes, it is hard not to eat irresponsibly at Christmas.
I am sure you can rustle up so many reasons why not spending Christmas with loved ones is a terrible idea.
Anyway, I never repeated that folly of going to a place far away from loved ones during Christmas. Travel if you must. But make sure where you are going is populated with people and places you are familiar with.
Or travel with your loved ones. Never be alone at Christmas.
Do you have a contrary take on the idea of not spending Christmas with loved ones? Please let us know about it in the comment section below.
And if you agree with this piece, still go ahead and tell us why you think spending Christmas with loved ones is the best possible way to celebrate that day.
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Cheers and compliments of the season.
