The Odd Event if Man is God!

Please note that the story you are about to read is 40% fictional and the rest; well let's just say it happens. Also please know that it's exactly 55 days to Christmas, I'm just saying though.

*CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER.*_ His_Storyteller written by Omoyibo Akpobome.

Okay, I know what you are thinking, Christmas in October!! Is this guy normal? Well in a world where abnormality is taken for normality and normal people are known and celebrated for doing abnormal things, I guess in this kind of world, normal is totally overrated. So in the light of this evidence, I think I'm free to proceed.

While reckoning on the one thousand ideas and thoughts that usually flowed through my mind whenever I took any of those my regular walks to church, I was dragged back into reality by a strong feeling that was trying so hard to prove to me that something was different about everything.

I confirmed the feeling when my eyes caught the light fog that filled the sky above, partially obstructing vision and making the little dipteral creatures feel more invisible. Sniffing into the air, like a dog trying to sniff its way home, I tried to process the smell in my nose into a picture in my mind, eureka!! I have found it, it was the smell of Christmas (you know that smell that can't be described using any word, you just know Christmas is around the corner whenever you sense the smell).

While still caught up in this moment, the ghost of Christmas past haunted my mind, digging up memories of Christmas long long ago. I remember the exchange of food on Christmas day, mama telling me that the content of the plate doesn't matter and that the most important thing was the content of the heart that gave the plate, but that didn't stop me from aiming for my neighbour's usual hot and spicy Ukodo pepper soup (a delicacy made up of yam and goat meat), just like a manager at the airport, I was always conscious of its time of arrival and like an hawk watches its prey, from a distance I monitored it, ensuring to demand my share from the first person that opens the plate.

Singing the carols of Christmas with so much passion and conviction, singing about the places I have never been and the things I have never done, thinking of the words of the carol and letting my mind roam wild, 'jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh', dreaming about white Christmas and how fun it would be to play in the snow, making shapes and cute little snow animals, making balls of snow and throwing it’s my imaginary friends screaming 'fire in the hole', places I have never been and things I have never done.

Gazing at my Christmas clothes, as I only get to try it on once before Christmas as mama shows papa how it fits me well and how handsome I would look on Christmas day. Trying to give a perfect description of my clothes to my friends, just like the evil step mother in those Disney cartoons, in the bid to convince them that mine was the finest of them all. I remember sneaking my friends into my room, just to show them the splendour of my clothes. Praying for matching glasses as it would make me seem cool like everyone else, but thank God mama knew better.

The cold running through my 'spine', sweet cool nights, wrapping myself up in thick blankets and dreaming about all the places I would never go. Watching Christmas movies and reading Christmas books, visualizing a perfect Christmas, having adrenaline rush and having ideas run like wild horses through my mind as I am once again convinced that anything is possible.

 Christmas morning, everything working as plan, one more prayer to be answered, the prayer for rich relatives to visit us bearing good tidings (and by that I mean gifts, sweet physical tangible gifts) and just like the three wise men, blessing us with gift of gold, frankincense  and myrrh (or just cash would do, high denomination cash) when leaving, but instead of those, all I got were sweet empty words like, 'wow, see this small boy of yesterday o, you are now a big boy', 'fine boy, hope you are behaving like a good boy o',one even asked me if I wanted meat, seriously, as if the meat didn't come from my house (sighs).

 Although there were times when I was engaged in the food and gift sharing ritual only to return and have my younger sister taunt me with high currencies she got from relatives that came while I was away, life!!.

These were the ghost of Christmas past, haunting me with sweet and forever cherished memories of my Childhood Christmas, memories that piled up to make me the dreamer I am today and prepare my mind for the spirit of Christmas present as I savour this moment and feeling of Christmas in October.

If I am to be the god of Christmas I’d make Christmas three times a year for all of its splendour. Just that Nicodemus will marvel at how I’d manage to get our Lord Jesus back into His mother’s womb to be birthed thrice (John 3:1-21). The odd if man is god!

So this my way of saying I'm the first to wish you  happy Christmas.
Christmas in October.

Cheers!