And of course, it was ALWAYS about food!!! There had to be the mandatory roasted pork (a whole piglet) stuffed with all kinds of delicious pates, sausages and the likes. And also always had a fantastic buche de noel.

At midnight on Christmas Eve, the kids would run in the bedroom for Santa to come in and put the gifts on their shoes under the tree. It's the one thing my family did, we opened the gifts on Christmas' Eve after midnight.

My Christmas has changed a bit since I haven't been able to have everybody around at once like in my childhood years. Last year was the closest we got to doing that.

A must for me at all christmas is some form of roasted pork. It just spells christmas to me. And I put up a tree and/or lights… This year I am attempting my hand at a homemade buche de Noel, we'll see what that comes out to be.

My grandparents both worked when the kids were small and many times would have to work Christmas, so, they started celebrating Christmas Eve so that they could have family time. As their kids married, this worked out well so their kids could spend the holiday with their in-laws. Christmas Eve night we go to my grandparents' home and all their kids, 19 grand kids, 19 great grandkids, and 1 great-great grand kid, their respective spouses, family friends and other extended cousins and neighbors who may be passing by cram into the small, small living room. We read the scripture, pray, and sing carols. Then, we have a talent show for the anyone who wants to perform.

After the talent show, we have guests to judge our cooking contest. That is right, we love to cook and have a cooking contest. This year we divided into teams and each team is assigned a country and you prepare a full meal in that country's tradition. We have done African countries in the past but this year I think we are doing Thailand, Japan, Italy and France. The cooking contest is hotly contested. You get bragging rights for a year and a $5 prize.

We all tell what we are thankful for and exchange gifts. No one is required to bring a gift but you give what you can to who you can. Everyone gives to my grandparents. We adopted a family into our own family who lost their mother and the kids are small. My grandparents insist on giving all the grandkids, great grandkids, their spouses and friends $5 each. It adds up. They will not take the money back if you try to give them your $5 back to them (However, they will gladly take your $10s, $20s, $100s, etc.)

We love each other and thank God for one another. There is nothing like family.

I can't wait to return to a Nigerian warm christmas.

Christmas in the US is so commercialized and kinda skews ones understanding of the holiday.

In Nigeria, I grew up putting up a christmas tree even in my Grandmas village house we had a tree and lights. We also went to Christmas carols in Sheraton and saw Santa. My primary school also had Santa and we'd pay to get presents. Its jall just a legacy of European colonization its part of our identities/ mixed heritages.

I'm from the North so we cook chicken and cow/ beef not goats for christmas.

Whatever and however, Its Christ-mass Jesus Christ's birthday symbolic remembrance whether in the tropic heat or temperate snow.

then serve the guests till you cant manage one more fake smile…

now….I dont bother getting up from bed the whole day..

the house is mine…………..

Now, since everyone in the house is too old…we've done away with xmas trees and worse…we now don't buy gifts for every person…just the folks….

Spend xmas morning at church for bout an hour and half, come back home to eat, and then family come over and the telephone calls back home begin with everyone passing the phone around so say a quick merry xmas…. and then we gossip….lol…u know….where one member of the family or the other is or who got married or engaged…. dis & dat…lol….pretty interesting…

This year, i really just want to sleep the day away…

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!

It sounds like Christmas is fun for you too! I forgot to mention that we spend the day making and answering phone calls too. That's very much a part of our Christmas.

@Tayo

Snow in Florida? Who knew it was even possible! Are you an only child?

@doja

Not a good cook? I thought all Nigerians were born cooking and cooking well? ;)

@geisha

Hello singing blogger! lol "eat themselves into a stupor". I hope you have some lovely gifts under the tree — Merry Christmas!

gifts under the Christmas tree… well, my mom used to do that. lets see if she does this year!

thats pretty much it, i think.