Rediscovering a Magical Christmas

Perhaps my most vivid recollection of Christmas as a child is playing King Herod at the school nativity play at the Tarkwa Goldfields staff club over four decades ago.

My paper crown firmly in place, I exuded all the importance I could summon, huffing and puffing from my puny lungs and issuing fiats and decrees ‘by heart’ as any self-respecting cruel king would. 

Childhood bliss, adult reality

For me as a child, the Yuletide was high season for new clothes, children’s parties all over the place, attending masquerade processions, eating jollof rice with chicken, munching on cake and Picadilly biscuits and washing it all down with Fanta or Muscatella.

Talk of true bliss and I am sure most of us have that experience. 

Of course, as one got older, the magic wore off slowly, until one realised that indeed, behind all the fun, partying, food and drink was the solemnity of Christ’s birth and its religious significance, along with the fact that really, Christmas is just another set of days, like any other.

That, of course, does not stop or invalidate the fact that it is important to have fun to round off the year.

The hard truth is that as a child, you have a certain legitimate, albeit innocent, expectation of fun and goodies from your parents and other family members, whereas as an adult, you have the responsibility for creating that memorable fun for your children or other children in your orbit.

In most cases, the concept of Christmas presents (these days, they take the form of cash) tends to be quite unidirectional, not just from adults to children, but from those in some authority or positions to their subordinates.

I began drawing up my Christmas list last week.

However, in exasperation, I gave up as the list got longer and longer. 

Taking stock

Almost invariably, no matter how much ‘bronya’ fun we are having or are looking forward to, most of us tend to find time to take stock of the year as it draws to a close.

It is quite easy, and perhaps normal, to wonder what happened to the year because it seems to have flown by at twice the speed of light, with apparently little to show.

In the whole mix, many resolutions may have been unfulfilled, many plans gone awry, several dreams shattered, perhaps the loss of a close friend or family member.

I have personally experienced some of these low points along with a few highlights that made life worth it.

I think that however easy it is to dwell on the negatives, one must make every effort to be forward-looking and count one’s blessings for the ‘little mercies’.

As Evron Hughes wrote on Facebook the other day, “If you step back and evaluate/review it all, it'll surprise you how much you have accomplished.

All the little steps you've taken over the year, and the one before, are simply pieces in the giant tapestry of your goals and grand ambitions.

What you see as accomplished people is the result of similar giant steps forged over years of work.

Hard work.

That is not to say slow down, but that you should not be discouraged or be too hard on yourself.”

I think there is a lot of truth and wisdom in this.

2024 crystal ball

So, what does 2024 hold for us as a country? Of course, there is the crunch election 12 months from now, with one party eager to ‘break the eight’ whilst the other is determined to put breaks on the dream.

To that extent, there will be lots of political sabre-rattling and heated debates across the political firmament, and that will pretty much dominate our national life.

Beyond this, we all have our personal aspirations, whatever they may be.

As part of the vicissitudes of life, some will come true, and others will suffer hiccups along the way.

The key is to plod along, regardless.

I am encouraged by the Chinese proverb that says ‘Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still’.

Hitting the gym? Let me not tempt fate.

Healthier living? I will try my best.

Read a new book every month? Let’s see how that unfolds. 

In the meantime, as the season kicks in, I intend to feed all my problems into the shredder and dive into my childhood to rediscover and enjoy a fantastic magical Yuletide.

All I need is for someone to pick up the bill. 

May you have the very best the season offers. Afehyia pa to you all!

Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng,
Head, Communications & Public Affairs Unit,
Ministry of Energy.
E-mail: rodboat@yahoo.com