Christmas Away From Home ✨

It's day 359 of documenting 2025.

6 days to 2026!

Merry Christmas! ✨

It's officially my first Christmas away from home and this is an overdue post....so it's all going to be about how the day went.

Very early this morning, before the cocks started crowing, my aunt called us out for morning prayers.

To thank God for seeing us through the year and keeping us alive to see Christmas.

After prayers, I got my phone which was already charged and started on the take-home assignment given by our lecturer taking us PSY 109.

I read through the articles to be studied and after sometime, fell asleep.

I woke up hours later when it was daybreak and called my dad to wish him a wonderful celebration.

There was light this time around, but it didn't stay till afternoon 😒

I did my usual chores: sweeping and mopping three rooms used by my aunt.

When I was done, I cooked rice and shortly after, we all had a filling Christmas breakfast.

Rice and stew with chicken and of course, a soft drink to step it down.

Premium enjoyment 😋

After eating, I rested while replying to messages on Whatsapp.

I sent and received Christmas wishes as well, from friends, coursemates and family.

When it was mid-morning, me and my homies went out 😁

My aunt mentioned that there would be a football match playing by that time, and encouraged us to go watch.

There we went...with our legs, jokes and laughter under a not-so-hot sun.

Unfortunately, we came out too early and met the field empty.

By then, the sun was getting hotter so we walked to a nearby canopy and sat down.

We were there for up to an hour before deciding to go back. 

Turns out that the alternate route we took led us to my mother's family house! 

I was so elated, as I recognized it instantly (That red gate 🥲).

My squad and I took a detour to the house where we saw my late mum's biological father...an aged man in his seventies.

His way of welcome was kolanut...commonly called oji, in my hometown.

He broke it into pieces and offered us a piece. They all declined.

By then, my maternal uncle had already arrived and welcomed us.

He encouraged me to eat the kolanut, saying it wasn't bitter.

It was so bitter! 😖

I couldn't throw it away, so I threw it all in my mouth and chewed through all the bitterness in my life.

Eventually, it wasn't so bitter anymore.

After staying for about 30 minutes and declining to wait for food to be ready, we left...but not without gifts of pawpaw and coconuts from my uncle.

We also bought snacks at a shop close by, which was paid for both by my uncle and my brother.

We got home in the afternoon, sun steaming our skins and vowed not to go anywhere again.

I rested and continued my messaging spree till my phone gave up the ghost.

By evening time, I cooked rice and warmed the stew we used in the morning. Then took a warm bath afterwards.

Last moment of the day was when I went with my family friend to buy fuel, on my aunt's request.

It was more like a long trek in the cool evening...and when we came back, we all ate more rice and chicken.

Then we turned on the gen to charge our devices. 

That was how I spent my Christmas.

Quite an adventure, right? 😄

It wasn't a good or bad experience...it was just right.

Alright, we're still on highlights.

Let's see the message from the book on Christmas.

Them we end the usual way: with my take and concluding thoughts.

365 Days With Self-discipline

📌 On Treats vs. Rewards

"A treat is different from a reward, which must be justified or earned. 

A treat is a small pleasure or indulgence that we give to ourselves just because we want it.

Treats give us greater vitality, which boosts self-control, which helps us maintain our healthy habits. 

When we give ourselves treats, we feel energized, cared for, and contented, which in turn boosts self-command. 

When we don’t get any treats, we feel depleted, resentful, and angry, and we feel justified in self-indulgence. 

We start to crave comfort; and grab that comfort wherever we can, even if it means breaking good habits."

Quote by Gretchen Rubin

Trying to totally do without treats and rewards is a posture that is destined to fail. 

I don’t know of a single person, no matter how self-disciplined, who doesn’t treat themselves to a small pleasure or indulgence every now and then and who doesn’t use rewards as a motivational tool.

Treats and rewards serve an important role: they help you to recover and to face future discomforts with a more positive outlook.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you’re so disciplined that you don’t need rewards or treats in order to work on your goals. 

There’s only one outcome from making such a dangerous assumption: after a period of doing well, you’ll start craving comfort.

Since you’ll deny yourself the needed comfort, the desire to indulge will build up, eventually explode, and destroy any

remnants of self-discipline that remained.

Set rewards for accomplishments and don’t be afraid to indulge in small pleasures from time to time ; as long as they’re small and don’t compromise your long-term goals. Self-care reinforces self-command, while self-denial depletes it.

When it comes to rewards and treats, self-compassion cannot be overemphasized.

I feel like it's those who reward themselves that understand how it can serve as motivation for any task.

The feeling of enjoying a treat after all the work done and tasks completed is second to none 😌

Others may see it as a waste of time or money, but in the long-term, it's a very cost-effective method of ensuring that you stay on task.

I give myself treats and rewards all the time, sometimes overdoing it.

I always call myself back to order tho....and it's all part of the process.

Any concluding thoughts?

Maybe a few...

So, today I was expecting Christmas favors from friends and certain seniors.

I made it clear by asking.

I started checking every two minutes to see if they had replied.

Then I was reminded that answers to prayers don't always come immediately.

I stopped putting my mind into it so much and watched some YouTube instead.

Guess what happened?

Just before my phone was totally dead, a friend sent a Christmas favors to me! 

It was PK! 😄

I didn't tell him, which made it all the more surprising.

I wonder how he does it...

How he knew I was expecting something...although not from him.

I guess it's my own Christmas miracle, something God used to show me that He would always provide...and I'm so grateful.

That would be all for today's documentation.

Thanks so much for reading and I wish you a Happy New Year in advance ✨

We're counting down the days now...and very soon it will be:

"Welcome 2026!"

Until then,

See you in the next post 💜