A Holy Night - #BCHNigerianForumXmasChallenge

23rd of December, 2021.

Some days back, a particular Christmas challenge was proposed by @Greatwolfman themed Christmas season #BCHNigerianForumXmasChallenge . I had wanted to write since that day, but I have not been in the mood I knew I needed that distinct mood to pen down a Christmas challenge winning article. Thankfully, I was inspired this midnight.

Apart from the fact that Christmas is much appreciated abroad and it's a season they really celebrate, Nigeria or let me say Africa at large to a reasonable extent also celebrates Christmas. There's this atmosphere when it's Christmas season which some of them are;

1. Constant sound of mini explodes(Banger)

2. Fire works

3. Traveling and visitation by different families

4. Frequent and intensional prayers at Religious centers

5. Extended cooking

And many more

My Source of Inspiration

Back then, in the early 2000s when I was younger, like six years old, I was so unhappy and had such a great sadness, I do not think I have had a greater since then. It was then that my friend's grandmother died. Before then, she would normally sit every day on her locally made stool in her room, and tell us all stories. It was such a fulfilling and unbothered life then. No other children had such happy times as we did😂 but we were eventually hit with boredom she died😀

I really cannot remember much but I remember that she had a white hair and also couldn't see very much. After her death, I can recollect that we children were brought forward to touch her hand, but we were afraid to do it. But then my mother said to us that it would be the last time we could thank grandmother for all the pleasure she had given us

Then, it felt like it was the end of the world, no one had such a time to sit us down and tell us stories anymore 😂. And I remember that gradually we adapted and started living our lives like other children😀. 

However, even till today, after roughly sixteen years, the stories about Christmas, which I heard out back then, there awakes within me the little stories of Jesus' birth that my friend's late grandmother used to tell, and I feel the need to tell it once again as my entry for the #BCHNigerianForumXmasChallenge

It was Christmas eve and our mothers were out cooking for the following day while some of our fathers were still yet to be back. We were all alone in the house and not allowed to come outside because it was cold and at the same time dark. But as we sat inside in our loneliness, grandmother began to tell a story.

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What kind of Night is this? A Holy Night?

It was about a man who went out in the dark night to borrow firewood to light up and warm both his wife and the baby, because his wife literally just put to bed . He went everywhere. Unfortunately, it was in the night, nobody replied because the villagers had slept. 

The man walked as far as he could, and eventually, he saw a glimpse of a fire light. Then he went in that direction and saw that it was an open fire. All of these sheeps were asleep, even around the fire, and a particular old shepherd sat and watched over the flock.

The man got there and saw that there were Wolves around the place, so instead of him running away, he insisted and moved closer. The wolves opened their mouths as if they wanted to attack, but couldn't.

The man thought he should move closer to get what he wanted. The sheep laid so close to one another that he couldn't pass them. Therefore, the man had to walk on the animals. Surprisingly, it was all perfect as the sheep and wolves lost their consciousness

The shepherd gained his consciousness when the man was about to reach the fire. The shepherd was an unfriendly old man. The moment he saw the man coming towards him, he stretched forth to pick the rod he uses for the sheeps and threw it at the animals to wake them so that they could attack the man. But the rod went astray still.

When the man got to the shepherd, he told him to give him firewood that his wife had just put to bed and they needed to be warmed up. Ordinarily, the shepherd would not have answered him, but he couldn't fight it when he realized the wolves and sheeps didn't regain their consciousness still after. He was quite inquisitive to know who the man was.

Although the fire was nearly burnt out, the Shepherd told him to take as much as he wanted just to scare him and send him away because there were no logs or branches anymore, only the coals and ashes. Surprisingly still, the man took the coals with his bare hands

When the shepherd saw all of these, he was still amazed. What type of man and night is this? That the wolves refused to attack using bare hands to park coals of fire. The shepherd then decided to follow him, that he might soon make a fire and warm his wife and child.

Then the shepherd saw the man didn't have a real house or hut to live in, and his wife and the newly birthed baby were lying barely on the floor where there's so much cold. The shepherd was compassionate and gave a cloth to keep the baby warm. Immediately he did this, he started seeing and hearing mysterious things, even about Angels singing that a Savior was born who should save the world from sins. He was so happy because his eyes had been opened that he fell upon his knees and Praised God.

Conclusion

The shepherd however discovered the uniqueness of Christmas through everything that happened. It was indeed a Holy and mysterious Night. The night Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. After so many years, the birth of Jesus Christ is still being celebrated yearly across the world. This shows how significant that Night was. The Holy Night 😍

@Greatwolfman thank you for having me on this Challenge. Merry Christmas and Happy New year in advance to y'all

Thank you for reading!