We got some celebrities and media personalities to share with us their most memorable Christmas. Some  went straight to the point and others had this to tell.

1. Okey Uzoeshi

Actress

Well, seeing as Christmas for me is usually shared with my family, the usual presents, Christmas lunch, (which my mom calls her “labour of love”) and visiting my relatives, my most memorable Christmas would be the first and only time we as a family ever travelled to my village, that was in 1993 and I was very young. It was pretty dull and largely uneventful (in my view) I mean; people went to bed at 7pm! But I met and fell in love with my grandmother, a love affair that’s still on till this very day. That, for me, is a Christmas to remember.

 

2. Liz Njagah

Actress

My most memorable Christmas happened when I was about 12 years old. We had a Christmas tradition. My mom used to make a big deal out of it. She would always have parties on Christmas day and she would invite close family and friends. The best part would be the preparation for the party. She would buy a Christmas tree and we would spend Christmas Eve decorating the house. Hanging lights and Christmas decorations and ornaments round the tree. I grew up in a family of 10 children and my mother made sure that we would all get new clothes for Christmas day service. We’d be decked out in our Sunday bests, and then my mom would cook up a storm. Christmas was also the only day my dad came with us to Church because my mom couldn’t take us as she was busy in the kitchen. On this particular Christmas, my mom made all our favourite foods, chicken, chapatti, pilau, mashed potatoes, beef stew. We spent all afternoon playing badminton in the garden as we waited for food to be ready. And the one thing that made that Christmas the best was because it would be the last one where we were all together as a family as my mom passed away the following year in May. Christmas to me means family, fellowship and food: traditions that my mom passed down to me and that I hope to pass on to my kids.

 

3. Sheifunmi Yusuf

Blogger

It’s actually hard to pick a memorable Christmas because most of them are quite individually special. But my most recent Christmas memory happened last year. My friends and I were returning from Karaoke at about 2am and we mistakenly passed a one-way street. Out of nowhere, the police appeared, eager to detain us. My friend Ifeanyi who is a great fabricator quickly came up with a story of how I was having an asthma attack and we had to use the quickest route to the hospital lest my condition drastically escalated. And I had to act accordingly. It was too dramatic; I had to hold myself from laughing and bursting our cover. They knew I was f—ing and told me to cut the crap as they had lost interest in arresting us. We ended up spending Christmas Eve with the policeman, having drinks and sharing valuable words of wisdom. We all became merry good friends, I still laugh when I remember.

 

5. Adaora Mbelu

Producer

December 2010. In the Spirit of Christmas, I decided to do something different – get a few friends together, leave our worries and work stress at the door, and enjoy an evening of fun, laughter, and honest friendship.

 

The summary was something like this:

1. If you intend to spend your entire Christmas Eve on BB Messenger, please don’t bother showing up. We will have a Blackberry Radar up to measure the amount of BB usage from each person’s phone.

2. We’ll sign release forms, permitting usage of your image. The camera will be snapping away.

3. Please bring something. It can be anything really. If your contribution is 10 Packets of Chupa Chups, Ribena, Plantain Chips, ANYTHING, that’s fine.

4. 10 -15 people maximum (If you bring a friend, be prepared to feed them o! – so, carry extra food in your pocket, or they’ll sit down and watch us eat)

5. Drinks: Leave your liver at home, there’s no 911 Ambulance service in this country o!

6. We’ll try to keep the games as Civil and PG (Parental Guidance) rated as possible. Keyword: try.

7. We’ll have a freestyle session, and everyone has to do something creative, so start practicing now (sing, Rap, Dance, Recite Poetry, Act). If you’re singing, feel free to bring your instrumental CD along.

8. A sleep over pass will be granted to interested individuals. However, Saturday morning is church o! So all sleep-over people have to vacate at 8.30 am or go to church with me. Your choice!

 

5. Tomi Odunsi

Actress

Oh dear. I have had a lot of Christmases I cannot forget in a hurry but I think the ones I miss the most are from when I was very young. I remember wearing new clothes even down to my panties. I looked forward to Christmas because that’s the day my mum surprised us with beautiful things, clothes and all sorts of gifts. We would run around in our new clothes and almost sleep in them. Sometimes I wish I could re-live those moments. Now I imagine a fun Christmas in a destination location but Christmas as a kid was the absolute best.