What does christmas mean to you?

Christmas means different things to different people. For some, it’s time to binge-shop and party. This week on WhatsApp Conversation, we check out what Christmas means to different people:

 

Tosin Awoniyi

To my understanding, Christmas is the celebration of God’s ultimate gift (the birth of Jesus Christ). Christmas is a Christian holiday whereby the birth of Jesus Christ is being celebrated. (Christmas is the central figure of Christianity). All Christians all over the world do celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December.

Christmas is widely observed in secular (non-religious) ways. Popular activities include the decoration of Christmas trees and the exchange of gifts. The word ‘ Christmas’ is commonly used as a modifier in the names of many items and activities associated with the celebration of Christmas such as Christmas cards, Christmas lights, Christmas cookies, etc.

 

Tosin Awoniyi.

For those who celebrate Christmas, Christmas is seen as a magical time that is associated with a sense of hope and wonder with a feeling of festiveness and that is why Christians celebrate Christmas every year.

 

Eraboh Matthew

Christmas was all about fun as I knew it then as a child. My siblings and I would think of new clothes, toys, shoes, and Christmas trees and lighting that mummy would buy and it’s going to be fun all season long at amusement parks with Santa Claus and eateries. It’s a season of exchanging cards and gifts to our neighbors and friends it’s always seemed churlish to refuse invitations to family friends’ houses during this season.

To me then, Christmas was nothing but fun. I understood then that it was all about Jesus’ birthday, but “where is Jesus to celebrate his birthday with us and to blow his candle lights”? I would ask mum and dad, “because he is in heaven watching you celebrating him” was always their reply.

Each year passed by and I realized the reason for Christmas was far more than what I was thinking of as a child. Christmas is about the person of Jesus and how we replicate that life here on earth.

 

Hilda Ighere

Christmas to me feels like love, family, friendship, happiness, joy, and laughter.

It’s like the one time you’re not allowed to be sad, it’s just fully positive vibes and loads of food, drinks, and good music.

 

Bolafunmi Adedayo

“I always have Christmas blues. Similar to birthday blues, it’s a time that pressures your heart and pocket to long for things you may never have” Christmas wants me to be happy and merry with family and friends. I don’t have my family near, my friends are all merrying with their families. The good parties/shows are not free or not worth the time.

 

Lawal Atilola

The Christmas season is here again and people around the world are busy with their preparations for their version of a Christmas dinner. Christmas is a time for family reunions, for family bonding, renewing friendships, etc People worldwide celebrate the season in many different ways, following their beliefs and customs. Christmas is a time to celebrate. Foremost is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It is meant to bring a message of peace and hope, but this is now overshadowed by the stress of preparing for Christmas brings to many people. Could this stress be blamed on the over-commercialism that has been attached to the religious celebration? Maybe. We could also blame it on the fact that a lot of people are losing focus on the reason why Christmas is being celebrated in the first place. We need to straighten that out and fast too.

 

Adetunji Ojo

Firstly, I am not even a Christian but I enjoy the season as much as any Christian. It is a time for family and friends and traditions from childhood. That is the spirit of Christmas and it is very real. Trees and tinsel and candy canes and roasted anything for dinner, Santa Claus and happy children, grinches and scrooges, see a good movie, eat, have fun. That’s the Christmas spirit and it lives inside us all.

 

John Joseph

The statement “Jesus is the reason for the season” says what Christmas is really about. The Christian church brought in the Christmas tree and the giving of gifts with the hope of causing non-christians to see their need for a personal relationship with the saviour.

I think that this effort to get non-christians converted to Christ failed. Christmas is about the “birth” of Christ. Christmas is commercialized with the giving of gifts and the Christmas trees, and the spectacular Christmas lights on people’s homes. Many homes are so decorated with colorful splendor that streets are like a light show and people come from far distances to see the wildly decorated front lawns and numerous Christmas lighting on these homes.

Yes, this is what Christmas means to most people. There are some Christians who take part in this yearly practice, but they know the reason for the season. It’s first about the reason.

 

Next week, it’s the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. We are talking resolutions  “What are your new year resolutions?” To be part of the next edition, send your response to 08133601345 on WhatsApp.