Without a doubt, I belong to those for whom Christmas is their favorite season. In our home, we are trying to create traditions as we endeavor to focus-on-the-reason-for-this-season. Well, you want to know why? it is because of the seeds that were sown in me at an early age.
Being born and bred in Africa in the early \’80s and 90\’s the manner in which we celebrated is very different from what children today are accustomed to.
![\"\"](\"http://www.getfulfilledlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Xmas-Tree-169x300.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http://www.getfulfilledlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Joy-300x300.jpg\")
The other day as I lay in bed eagerly waiting for the time to fly so we would go pick up my niece and nephew who are visiting for Christmas, I found myself reflecting on Christmas when I was their age and the \”Christmas joy I once had as a girl\”.
Who is Santa Claus?
Although we heard about and actually saw Santa Claus he never came down our chimneys to deliver any presents. In our home, my father always bought a present for the whole family to enjoy as opposed to individual gifts. The rationale for this, of course, had to do with economic reasons.
I vividly recall the year we finally got a colored television!! The excitement caused us to stay awake if only to finally discover that the news anchor\’s tie was colored and not black and white as we had always known it to be. What I would call presents were the new clothes and shoes we wore to church that morning. This was after partaking a sumptuous breakfast packed with goodies we would have baked the days before. Guess what else was on the menu cereal and hot chocolate! Yes, we had to wait for special occasions to enjoy a bowl of cereal and hot chocolate.
The eucalyptus smell that filled our home during the season came from the Christmas tree which was always fresh not out of desire but that is what was available for us. The idea of artificial trees and ornaments was foreign. Instead, we made our own decorations often out of wrappings from the sweets and chocolates my father brought from his foreign trips. The exchange of cards was at times way too much. My father was a public servant and therefore, we got cards from almost all the ministries and foreign offices. We listened to Christmas music all month-long because this is what my father liked and still does decades later.
I am thankful to God for his provisions since our children can have cereal and hot chocolate anytime they wish, plus stockings waiting for Santa to fill and individual presents under the tree. Needless to state, however, I would not change anything about those years. I am indeed grateful because it is such experiences that have made me the wife and mother I am today. My mother always and still does express her love through food. It is because of what I learned at her feet that I am now creating traditions in my home which hopefully our children will one day write about.
My mother always made a turkey with a vegetable stuffing inside the bird. However, in 2011 an American friend invited us for a meal and she served stuffing. I inquired what the delicious dish was and learned it was stuffing made outside the bird. You guessed right I looked up a recipe since I wanted to make this dish. I would only be able to do so in 2015 after we arrived in Abidjan and finally I could get most of the ingredients. My philosophy with recipes is if I can get between 80 – 90% of the ingredients I will try it out. I mean in Africa if you aim for 100% you will miss out on making so many things!!! This year I am looking forward to a Christmas where again our home will be filled with love and laughter and yes a sausage, apple, cranberry stuffing made outside the bird.
Over to you my friend, what memories do you have of Christmas? Please share in the comments section below.
Rosette, reading from this You have reminded me a lot of my childhood. I do remember waiting for the day to ware those new Xmas dress and nice shoes. Of course in our house and the whole neighbourhood, you will know it’s Xmas because the whole neighbourhood would smell pilau. Also it’s the day that you will get a chance to drink as much sodas as you want. Indeed Xmas was and still my favourite season of the year. Thanks for sharing your memories.
Thank you Angel for sharing your memories. I had forgotten about the soda and from this I take it you are an expert at making Pilau (rice that is fried with spices and has meat in it). Very popular in Eastern Africa.
Rosette, these are good to reckon.
Ahahahah, the only thing I remember is eating a lot of food, what we falesly believed to be “a balanced diet ” away from the usual posho and beans. It was a time of eating meat and and eat hihihihi.
After eating, I had freedom to go and play with my friends. My uncle was a radio technician so he play very loud music for all the neighbours to dance.
My friend, Christmas to me was Characterised with eating and freedom to play.
Thank you Betty for sharing. You are right in Africa Christmas was and still is characterised with eating and being merry. I hope you will find the courage to dance with your boys this season. Merry Christmas my dear.
I also forgot to mention, I love your xmas tree.
Thank you very much my dear.
Christmas time was special as we would wake up early to go to church and rush back home to make Chapati’s. I remember the smell of Chapati in every home as that’s the only time of the year most families would afford and enjoy that delicacy! It’s also the only time we were allowed to eat Chapati to our fill.
We downed the Chapati’s with Treetop Orange Squash in a glass bottle…which used to be manufactured by East African Industries(EAI), today Unilever…never tasted anything better!
My dad would buy us shoes and clothes and we would be so excited! Life was so simple back then. Memories…..sigh!!!!
Thank you Marion for sharing. I too recall that Chapati (form of flat bread eaten mostly in East Africa) as a cherised food. Ofcourse i remember treetop indeed nothing will ever much it. I wish you a merry christmas and a fruitful 2017.
Wow.. What wonderful memories, new clothes and shoes for Christmas was the order of the day. The favourite family tradition on Christmas was carrying home cooked food (specifically made by mom) to eat at the public beach.
Thank you Cynthia for sharing. We had something similar but we did it on New years day. We cooked food and took it to botanical gardens and had a picnic. I have adopted this tradition in our family last year we went to bingerville for a picnic.
Thank you Rosette. Brought me back to my childhood memories too. Especially my father reading a christmas story and one of the children read the part in the Bible. I ll think I ll ask my father to choose a story again this year and one of our girls to read the Bible. This tradition will be re-introduced. Thank you for inspiring me. A merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
Josine
Thank you for sharing Josine.Traditions are so powerful am sure your daughter’s will appreciate expressing what you had.
Thank you too for your support this year. I wish you a merry Christmas and a fruitful year ahead.
Thank you for the great post! Christmas is an exciting time for me and one tradition that we had as children in the 80s and 90s was setting up the Christmas tree,baking cake and attending mass on the eve of Christmas. My dad just like yours was very involved in ensuring we had the best cypress tree(live) which we’d then decorate with colored crepe papers and cottonwool for snow! He’d then buy us new clothes and on rare occasions shoes. On the d-day we would have a heavier breakfast consisting of tea,buttered toast,doughnuts and fruits; heed to church and then the real celebration of cake,soda(Fanta), candies and biscuits would start! We always had a particular elderly couple visiting on Christmas Day until years later when they passed on and we missed them terribly.To date I love Christmas and I try as much to spend it with my parents who did their best to make it memorable for us. Merry Christmas and God’s blessing!
Thank you Christine for sharing. You have reminded me about the cotton wool. Am glad you will be spending Christmas with your parents. You now have a responsibility to create traditions that your children will carry on. Merry Christmas and a blessed and fruitful 2017.
Wow Rosette thanks for rewinding it’s really taken me back. Loved everything about it, remember back then Christmas took forever to come round. On the 24th we all ate very little with the boys saying they are “sharpening their stomachs for mum’s food on Christmas”??…. We’d ensure we stay up up that night till midnight and dad would make us share a bottle of soda that night to toast the day. As we grew older in the 90s this changed to a small glass of sherry or wine?I’m a bit homesick. Merry Christmas everyone and best wishes for 2017.
Jovia you remember so much… dad and mum really did well and that is why Christmas is my favourite season. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas my dear sister.
sister yeah dos were da days really remember after lunch we would go for a walk ard da city n buy sweets n other goodies bambi i miss dos days for sure merry christmas to u all
Julie thank you for sharing. Yes I remember the walks thinking about it now I think they wanted us to digest all the food we had eaten. I thanked dad for those days today he was happy. You have a merry Christmas too and greetings to the boys.
Great post Rosette….you made me miss dearly my late grandmother. She is the one that brought the whole extended family together during Christmas. She died in 1992 and so you can imagine that is the last time the entire family ever came together. In the early 80’s…new clothes and shoes (to us that was the only gift so to speak) worn on Christmas day..eating Jam on bread…chapati was a must and is still a delicacy. And slaughtering of a whole cow and if lucky plus a goat or sheep. I remember eating until I could eat no more! Sodas were also obviously available on Christmas day and we could compete who drank the most. In the late 90’s when family became more nuclear centered…we stuck to a programme of church then feasting afterwards…Chapati were made on 24th evening so that there is less cooking on Christmas day. In our home we never had a Christmas tree…we never had cake… However, the rich tradition of sticking together as a family has made me value the Christmas tradition and I try my best to make the best out of it. Have a blessed & wonderful Christmas!
Thanks for sharing Catherine. May your granny RIP. Looks like you guys had lots of fun I can imagine being with all your cousins. We too used to have the soda competition and yes jam on bread was a rare one too. We thank God for those years.
Haha reading this article has brought a smile to my face. Oh dear! The pink and blue toilet papers on our Christmas trees! For some reason my mom bought my sister and l similar dresses for Xmas..just different colours! Memories memories memories!!!! Thx Rosette for sharing and enjoy the festive season. Be blessed sweetheart.
Yes Ritah I remember the toilet paper. God has brought us from far. Thanks for sharing hope you enjoyed your Christmas.