When I was a child, we always spent Christmas at home. So you can imagine what it felt like the year that my dad lodged us in the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt for Christmas.
Dad had just secured a job as a consultant in a big company and this was his gift to us. We could order any food we wanted and we had access to a variety of channels on DSTV. We had no TV at home before then, so it was a thrill to watch DSTV for the first time in my life.
Being in the hotel was so exhilarating! I couldn’t sleep on the bed because I felt it was too beautiful; I slept on the floor. I was so happy eating free food that I wanted to wash the plates after I was done. While carrying them, I broke a glass!
Well, I wasn’t the only one filled with euphoria. My brother was, too. He forgot our room number and had to go from one end of the hotel to the other looking for us, with only his towel around his waist. When he finally located our room, he couldn’t enter because he had forgotten the card.
From the hotel, we went to a Chinese restaurant where there was a buffet. We were seeing such for the first time. I kept dishing different foods, even the ones that were unfamiliar to me. I enjoyed myself that Christmas, especially because I had so much freedom to do things I ordinarily wouldn’t have done at home. We also got many new things. That was definitely the best Christmas of my childhood.