CHRISTMAS "What is not talked about"🤐

Compliment of the season to all members of @colombia-original, it's another season of joyous celebration as 2025 is almost coming to an end. Though we celebrate Christmas or we see it as a period of celebration, but there are things we avoid talking about this period, all thanks to @franyeligonzalez for this contest. I'll be talking about done of these things as it is in my country. I remain @destinedhanik.

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Just as there always be peace, there is tendency for there to be fights sheh many people, despite sharing same blood, find together. Family fights are frequent tho not in every family when they come together for Christmas. This is because coming together involves extended families too, siblings with their spouses and children, uncles and aunties coming all together to celebrate the Christmas. But this isn't a reason there should be fight. What brings about the fight is responsibilities in one big household during this period. Example, the older wives would leave the whole cooking to the younger wives, or the other wives will come t on how the other ones are relating with their spouses, or even when it has to do with playing between the children. This hasn't happened to me though as I'm always in my house during Christmas.

Christmas is a time of reflection. I'm happy to be seeing another Christmas period because not everyone who started this year is still alive today. I'm not really experiencing the Christmas yet because I'm still working everyday but I guess I'll experience it more when I'm given a break to go enjoy the Christmas period with my family.

No, I've never lost someone during this time of year but I know people who have lost their loved ones during this period. It's always difficult for them to cope especially when they have young children. It's difficult to explain to the children where the loved one is. They may not be able to talk about it at first and especially during that mourning period but with time, they have to open up so they don't transfer anger to the children. The vacuum is always there when the loved one isn't there to celebrate Christmas with his or her family.

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The way Christmas is celebrated in my country, I feel obligated to comply with certain traditions like tradition of new clothes, new hair, Christmas decorations, outing, giving presents to family members, cooking particular meals, etc. When I don't have the financial means to do all these things, I feel sad, but I also explain to my family members, I also try to do the little I can. And yes, I feel anxious about not meeting demands. Christmas is a period to show love but sometimes I don't have financial means to do so, but spending time with one's loved ones is also another way of showing love.

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Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Christ but we don't represent it well as what most people think about is celebration in terms of wearing of new clothes, decoration Of buildings, cooking and eating different dishes, tho some do show love by sharing what they have with people who don't have.

But if I'm to redefine Christmas in my own way, it would be a period where love is shared by helping the less privilege and those going through a lot of things like the loss of loved ones. Christmas would be about visiting the hospitals and paying the bills of patients there, it would be about helping the widows and widowers and orphans. It would also be about thanking God in different ways and organizing carol services. It would be a true reflection of the reason why Christ came to the earth. It would be about preaching the gospel to souls and also meeting their needs.

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Yes, I have spent Christmas wishing it would eve quickly because of how expensive things were during that period. It was a period where there was shortage of cash in Nigeria, even if one had funds in the bank, it was difficult to get it due to shortage of cash and so I wished the Christmas would end quickly.

Some of the unhealthy habits or lifestyle that becomes normalized at Christmas and affects me are:

• Smoking: People smoke during this period in public places which affects me. This is unhealthy for the health.

• Drinking: People drink alcohol and get drunk during this period. This leads to accident causing loss of lives.

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At times, things happen that makes me sad, maybe when I reflect on the fact that I have not achieved my goals for the year. I hide the sadness so that others may not see it. Sometimes, when I'm angry, I hide it and act happy because I don't want to ruin the atmosphere.

Red and white is my Christmas colour

Another thing that isn't talked about at this time of the year is the heavy spendings of people which leaves them in debt in the new year. Also, the number of lives lost due to one thing or the other like careless driving, food poisoning etc. Also, increase in pregnancy of single ladies during this period. In one sentence, I would say Christmas is a period of celebrating the love of God by sharing love to everyone around us abd reflecting on the reason for Christmas.

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