Well, if it happens that you didn't experience this, then you're obviously not a Nigerian, and if you're a Nigerian and didn't experience this, then you must be of this Gen z generationš. These days, we don't really have such anymore, this new set of parents are now the more enlightened type, the type that would make sure clothes and shoes fits their child perfectly, unlike ours back then, more like our parents go get us clothes in the market with their eyes closed, or they got t those clothes forgetting what we their child really looks like.
Well, I've had a lot of those experiences while growing up. But a particular one stood out, and it's still very vivid in my memory. We never knew mum had bought us Christmas clothes, shoes, watches and all. She had bought them all during her birthday celebration in August. She just hid it amongst her own clothes in her wardrobe. We cried and begged her to get us one, but she wouldn't listen. She kept using every mistake of ours against us as the reason why she won't get it for us. So, we became extra careful and do all her bidding without complaint.
Up until the 24th of December, we haven't seen anything. We were very sad. On the night of that 24th, she called us to her room and gave us some nylons to check, lol and behold there in was our Christmas outfit. Our joy knew no bounds, not until we checked it.
I and my brother both tried it on, and it was the biggest thing we've ever seen. If my coat and that of my bro was joined together, believe me it will make a canopy enough for 12 people to sit underneath. "Mummy, is this for dad?" That was the question I asked.
"Are you not supposed to say thank you first," she said rolling her eyes at me, then she continued. "It's for you, I've gotten it since August, don't worry you will grow into it."
You mean? Grow into what exactly? When am not Goliath. How will I grow into such. So, she intentionally got the extra big size because she thought we would have grown a little bigger and taller before December. The one she's been buying in the past self aren't as big as these ones and still we complain.
My brother who had kept mute since checked himself out once again and voiced out, "Mum, we've grown bigger than wearing all these oversized Christmas clothes o."
My mum wouldn't even talk, then we decided to check the shoes. That shows is what the call, "arrive before me" or "leave me behind." "Arrive before me," in the sense that depending on how you walk you might take a step forward and it just flips of and land mikes away. And, "leave me behind," in the sense that, you might take a step and it wouldn't follow you, it would have come off š².
When I complained, my mum just laugh it off and said it wasn't a problem. Before we knew it, she has brought out several newspapers and rolled it perfectly to fit into the from of the shoes. Huhm, it wasn't a funny one at all.
But what do we do, we gat no option, we rocked it like that the next day. We greeted everyone in that attire, we shared food around our streets in our costs and shoes. But you know how it was then, your fellow kids would still admire you. Rocking new shoes with, clothes, rubber watches and some plastic glasses to fit.
One of our neighbors even used me to laugh, she saw me outside and saw how the air was blowing my coat as if it was a parachute. Well, I guessed she also saw the height at which my trouser was, "above the stomach." Still, it was still touching the ground and covering my shoes.
Later that day, we had to pose for some pictures, my mum had to pinch me from behind so I could wear a smiling face. And guess what, you dare not talk about it again, else they will remind you of how that there are some kids somewhere who couldn't even get any new thing to wear talk less of being able to celebrate Christmas.
Still, I can't deny the fact that those time were really good times. Then, the economy isn't like this, we were happy then, things aren't that costly and the nation is peaceful, unlike now, you would think thrice before thinking of traveling, or you either choose between getting a Christmas clothe or getting something good to eat during Christmas.
But then, wherever that coat is, am sure it's still growing. It should keep it up š.
First image was AI-generated, other images are mine.
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