CHRISTMAS BREAK IS HERE AGAIN!
Christmas is an annual sacred Christian holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, the spiritual leader and founder of Christianity. While many people celebrate Christmas to honour Jesus’ birth, it’s also celebrated as a cultural holiday across the globe. Christmas is a very important time of year. It’s a time of year when the whole world is hearing the message of the birth of Jesus. It’s a time when people are of tenderhearted… the perfect time to plant seeds of love in the lives of those you meet. Sometimes these seeds may just take the form of a kind word in the middle of one-hour shopping. Other times, you may get the opportunity to pray and minister to someone. But whatever the situation, keep a sharp eye out for even the smallest chance to assist people.
Christmas break is that time of the year when we all both Christians and non-Christians hold our end of year party, gala nights and Christmas party. For the college and undergraduate students, they start the Christmas break from the third week of December to the first week of January. O’level students equally do likewise. Among secondary school students, it is the first holiday in the academic calendar after the first term examination. Students who do well in their first term examination expect a splash from their parents and guardians during the Christmas break. Pupils in nursery and elementary schools expect their care-givers to do wonderful new things for them during the Christmas celebration. Some secondary schools withhold their SS 3 students who will write their SSCE in the coming new year till the day before Xmas to ensure that they read and revise their books. Unfortunately, no student whether in the college, graduate or elementary schools ever open their books during the festival of Christmas. Why? There could be very few who would do that but majority of the students are taken in the euphoria of fun fare, celebration, and activities that grace the Christmas period.
Teachers seldom give take home assignment to their students during the Christmas break. It is noteworthy that the Christmas break is the greatest and most widely celebrated holiday in the academic calendar. Matter of fact, it marks the end of the year and ushers in a new year, the continuation of the academic calendar. There is no fear of not being promoted after the Xmas break as the students are still fresh in their new classes. The reason for the season or the message of Christmas is not what is in the mind of so many students. They usually preoccupy their minds with what to eat and drink, meeting new friends, travelling and visiting new places, attending invitations, events, and entertainments. However, everybody prays and plans for Christmas break both students and everyone alike.
Mostly, during the ‘ember’ months, ritual killings increase, accidents on the highways increase, robbery and theft increase, cheating and unfaithfulness in relationships increase, quest and desire for new things increase, etc. Part of the planning is seen when people start making fresh demands from their parents, guardians, spouses, friends and lovers. Everybody wants to look new and appear gorgeous during the Xmas period. Young secondary school female students are seen with wigs, weave-on, attachments and new hair-dos. Prices of goods and services equally skyrocket during Xmas. Transportation fare, PMS and Diesel prices are increased. A lot of things take place during the Christmas break and that is why people prepare and plan for it. More reason why people do pray for the celebration is that some unfortunate ones spend their Xmas in hospitals and Orthopaedic homes due to one reason or the other.
Moreover, a lot of activities and events are lined up from the Christmas to the New Year period. Sporting events, weddings, marriages, and burials are already fixed in most places. Christmas break is never a dull moment for anyone. Families always change the kitchen menu to include other delicacies and sumptuous meals. There is this dream of every young student to experience something new during the Xmas period. Those who live in the cities come back to their villages where various entertainments and activities are already piled up (for instance, beauty pageantry). There are the green and red ribbon decorations which mark public places with a ‘Christmas Tree’ in some places. Radio and TV stations give jingles and songs that commemorate the birth of a Saviour. Finally, one thing that accompanies the Christmas break is a new year and new resolutions. As human beings, we all need to transform ourselves annually and evolve into better human persons. As the year ends with Christmas break, we often dream big and have a wish list of greater things in the new year.
Obiotika Wilfred Toochukwu,
Anambra State
