The harmattan brings desert-like weather conditions: it lowers the humidity, dissipates cloud cover, prevents rainfall formation and sometimes creates big clouds of dust which can result in dust storms or sandstorms. The wind can increase fire risk and cause severe crop damage. Special care must be taken against fire outbreaks and bush burning. It occurs in-between the end of November and the middle of March. It is a cool dry wind that blows from the northeast or east in the western sahara and is strongest in the late fall and winter. It generally affects our skin in various ways such as dryness of the skin, chapped lips, an increase in the trigger of asthma, problems with the respiratory system among others. It is important to be aware and intentional about taking care of our skin at this time.
As you think about how to stay safe moisturized and environmentally safe this harmattan, it is also proper to reassess your motives and decisions about your finances and engagements this yuletide.
People describe December as the slaughter season of the year. Why? Smart finance houses and other corporate bodies encourage employees and the general public to begin to save some funds from January. They are asked to do so till the last month, when promotional shopping spree consumes all their hard-earned deposits. December thus slaughters all their savings in their giddy greed and gluttony. This is not the will of God for His people at the end of the year. His desire is that we should not be deceived by the vain customs of men, which are unfruitful works of darkness. We are not to allow the events of the period to overtake us so that we will not miss the outpouring of the Spirit’s power to evangelize.
There is a danger when Christians begin to allow the spirit of competition to swallow them in wasteful spending. Such negligent believers eventually create other problems in the process. Those who have escaped the ‘slaughter house’ of the season through the sound message of Christ should show love to those trapped in it
and are awaiting the fatal assault of Satan. Do not let the festival of the world feast on you. A lot of mental and emotional stress accompany the month of December. As it stands now in Nigeria, we are faced with fuel shortage and hike in the prices of petroleum products. Usually, this happens every year. Coupled with that is the redesign of the Naira notes. The pressure to get the new naira notes and remit the old ones in the bank are high. On another hand, relationships are failing, crumbling and breaking up because of demands and failed promises. Surely, the month of December carries a heavy load.
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Christmas is a time to remember that when Jesus was born, God became human. This allowed God to save humanity from sin. Without the incarnation of Jesus, Christianity will not exist. Christmas is a time for Christians to remember that they are part of a global community, despite differences within Christianity.
Some Christians argue that if birthdays were depicted negatively in the Bible, and if Jesus never celebrated his birthday, then celebrating the birthday of the Saviour is not actually following the word. Most religions like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism do not recognize Christmas and Easter as they are ancient Christian festivals. So, the only religion to celebrate Christmas and Easter is Christianity.
Christmas is an awesome time of the year. Christmas is all about God’s love and mercy, not His damnation. It is spotlighting God’s unconditional love for us the way it should be done all year long. It is focusing on the good news of God’s love and not the bad news of our failures. That’s the Gospel of peace that the angels were singing about, and that should be our message too. After all, the true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of God’s ultimate gift: the birth of Jesus, the Christ child.
Written by WILFRED OBIOTIKA
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