Growing up in Nigeria, Christmas was very special to me. It meant a lot of food, visits from friends from far and long holiday with cousins. 

It meant New clothes for Church and bangers(sparklers). It meant we stayed up as long as we wanted to and told tales under the moonlight

As I grew older and moved to the West, Christmas became different. Christmas in the west still meant some family time, but not as huge as thanksgiving, in my opinion. It also meant PRESENTS. Lots and lots of it. This was a culture shock to me, as presents were not a part of the culture for me growing up.

I have since come to appreciate the time spent sharing presents and siting together under the Christmas tree awaiting what Santa has for you.

As a parent, I also got excited about the look on my children's faces as they open their gifts to see if they got their wishes or not.

Whatever Christmas means to you, or whatever the holidays mean to you, I hope you and your family enjoy this time of the year. 

It is indeed the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!