People talked about the current year as if it were some comet, slowly transporting us into a new year, a new planet where the sun’s rays switched from yellow to green, where perhaps poverty, sicknesses, and death were no more.

A new year comes, and same old faces, same neighborhood, same life, same misery. And you begin to wonder what the merry making was all about? Sometimes it’s better to join in the madness instead of standing out to contemplate all these.

Around Christmas time, there was always traffic congestion wherever one turned. Visitors were in town, some to give gifts to their loved ones, others to give diseases and unwanted pregnancies to their victims.

Many women were desperate for lovers during this period. Inflation in the country was causing rent, new clothes, new hairstyle and good times to grow out of the reach of women and they needed the long arms of  new lovers to pluck them.

Sometimes, one lover’s arms were not enough. A lady had to combine two or three lovers in order to make significant progress. Men caught new lovers like flu.

Mother used to warn us to be careful of gifts we took from people. There were rumors that ritualists killed innocent people so that their devilish riches could continue to flow.

Scary tales for young ears.

There was a countdown to the new year on every TV channel. At last, the long-awaited 31st December arrived. Throughout the day, fireworks exploded. It was as if each household competed for sky dominance with their fireworks.

I took a final glimpse of the passing year, soon to be gone, never to return.

That night, just before we left for church, the president was on national television. New year wishes in advance and a long speech about things we had no time to listen as we turned off the tele and left for the watchnight service.

The church was packed. Everyone was at church. Thieves. Infidels. The faithful. The sick. The well. Saints. Evildoers. They all insisted they had One Father and had come to thank Him for a successful year.

We sang, and danced, and danced and danced. So much joy to see the end of  a year. Not all were that lucky.

Earlier in the day, I spotted the obituary of a certain man on an electric pole. And as I passed by it gazing at the picture, I thought about the Christmas jollof, and other delicious meals, drinks, trending comic videos, gossip shared with loved ones… This man couldn’t enjoy any of these anymore. Being alive certainly meant something. I wasn’t surprised to see the living dancing merrily at church.

When the dancing and shouting and screaming was over, it was now time for the sermon. Not long into the sermon, many began to doze off.

The preacher jumped and clapped, Bible raised in the air, shouting and screaming of the Lord’s goodness. The roaring ceiling fans gathered the message of the preacher, twisted and mixed it with the breeze of the chilly night and scattered it beyond the ears of many deeply lost in sleep…