Home Essentials for Christmas in Nigeria

Will you be celebrating Christmas in Nigeria or are you thinking of jetting off somewhere all by yourself or with the family?

If you are doing the former, then you must have picked a date to go shopping for Christmas especially if you intend to host a few friends, colleagues or members of the family.

For those who have already begun shopping for the holiday early, and are still placing orders for several items, it is important to remember that there are some essential things that you should have in the house as you countdown to celebrate Christmas this year.

We have decided to make things easier for you by coming up with a list of nine things that you should consider having in the house as you countdown to Christmas.

A functional generator

Nigeria does not have uninterrupted power supply due to intermittent power cuts or extended periods of blackout depending on which part of Nigeria you reside.

This explains why a large number of Nigerians have power generating sets at home to fall back on when there are power cuts.

Therefore, ensure that you have, not just a generator, but a functional one at home, to have something to rely on whenever there is a power cut.

These power cuts happen unannounced, so you must be prepared for such. You can get a used 2.5KVA generator for N30,000. If you prefer a new one, a 2.2KVA generator sells for N65,000 while a 3.5KVA generator currently retails at N80,000.

Christmas Tree

What is Christmas without a Christmas tree? A Christmas tree makes the house stunning and if you are celebrating Christmas in Nigeria, it is important you get one in the house.

Christmas trees and Christmas lights usually come together so ensure you don’t end up with a tree without lights.

Depending on your budget, there is a broad range of Christmas trees you can buy. For instance, you can get a Christmas tree of 24 inches for N7,000.

If you have a bigger budget then, you could go for a 6ft Pine Xmas Tree + Xmas Lights, which currently sells for N23,000 or an 18ft Christmas Tree With Decor, which currently sells for N90,000.

First aid kit

It is critical to have a first aid box in the house especially if you would be spending your Christmas with children.

No one wants to have to head to the hospital or the pharmacy for something like a bandage and an antiseptic cream.

Therefore, ensure you have a first aid kit in the home this Christmas.

A typical first aid kit should include:

• Plasters in a variety of different sizes and shapes
• Small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings
• At least two sterile eye dressings
• Triangular bandages
• Crêpe rolled bandages
• Safety pins
• Disposable sterile gloves
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Alcohol-free cleansing wipes
• Sticky tape
• Thermometer (preferably digital)
• Skin rash cream such as hydrocortisone or calendula
• Cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings
• Antiseptic cream
• Painkillers such as paracetamol (or infant paracetamol for children), aspirin (not to be given to children under 16), or ibuprofen
• Cough medicine
• Antihistamine tablets
• Distilled water for cleaning wounds
• Eye wash and eye bath

Food, drinks and snacks

Except you are planning to set a new world record of celebrating Christmas without eating, it is vital to have food, drinks and snacks in the home for Christmas.

The question of what you eventually decide to buy would depend on your tribe and preferences whether individually or collectively as a family.

This is crucial because you don’t want to get stranded in the middle of Christmas without food in the house. So, stock the house with food, drinks and a variety of snacks.

Regardless of where you reside in Nigeria, there are several supermarkets, stores and markets around you where you can go shopping for food, drinks and snacks.

Cable TV subscription

If you are going to be celebrating Christmas in Nigeria, then remember that you are going to be spending quite some time at home.

Therefore, you must have some entertainment at home and the TV and a cable subscription is important. This subscription would give you, children and other guests something to be entertained by when they come visiting. This is also a good time to catch up on your favourite programmes on TV.

Cash

Remember that you need to have sufficient money for you to enjoy celebrating Christmas.

It is, however, advisable that you do not have an outrageously large amount of money in cash at home but we strongly advise that you ought to have some money in the house.

Also have your ATM in pristine condition for use during the Christmas holiday.

Another good reason to have cash at home is that if that the ATM fails to return your card while you attempt to make a withdrawal, you will still have some money on you. Nigerians understand how frustrating this can be especially the rising number of Nigerians whose cards get stuck in the ATM. Therefore, withdraw some money and keep it at home as a contingency plan.

Wi-Fi

Having a functional Wi-Fi at home can make a world of difference if you are planning to celebrate Christmas at home.

There are several benefits to having Wi-Fi at home this Christmas. It ensures that you stay connected to friends, colleagues and loved ones all over the world.

If you have a smart TV, then Wi-Fi is crucial to enjoying the best of what the device has to offer. It also ensures that the Apps on your phones and other mobile devices stay updated and perform optimally.

Guests can also use it, and it is quite cost efficient and faster than the internet connection from most mobile network providers in Nigeria.

3D VR glasses and headsets

Do you know what 3D VR glasses are? This is one device that will add sparks of fun to your Christmas holiday in Nigeria.

Well, 3D VR glasses or headsets are 3 Dimensional Virtual Reality glasses or headsets as the case may be.

VR headsets provide immersive virtual reality for the wearer. They are widely used with computer games but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers.

Unlike headsets with integrated displays, VR headsets are essentially enclosures in which a smartphone can be inserted into. VR content is viewed from the screen of the device itself through lenses acting as a stereoscope, rather than using dedicated internal displays.

Google released a series of specifications and associated DIY kits for virtual reality viewers known as Google Cardboard.

Quite a number of Nigerian stores already have the Google Cardboard and 3D VR Headsets on sale and this is one device that would surely give you and your guests lots of memories as you celebrate Christmas.

At the time of writing this article, it is available for sale at a price range of between N7,300 and N15,000.

Fire extinguisher

Do you consider fire extinguishers important? Yes they are. Unfortunately, they are largely overlooked yet play a very crucial role in safety at home. Fire extinguishers should not be ignored for any reason and the Christmas season is perhaps, the best time to get one for your house.

A fire extinguisher is not just a red can you hang on the wall and seldom use. Fire incidents do not send notifications of their impending arrival. The portable fire extinguishers have been known to successfully extinguish fires without any need of the fire department.

Did you know that in 2008, the United States fire departments responded to an estimated 1,451,500 fires. These fires resulted in 3,320 civilian fire fatalities, 16,705 civilian fire injuries and an estimated $15,478,000,000 in direct property loss. It is important you get one for your home this Christmas

Final thoughts

As you plan for Christmas in Nigeria, remember that the house is one place where you will be spending a lot of your time especially if you are one of those people who love to host friends, children and loved ones.

To make it one filled with new memories, you should consider having the items we have highlighted above in your home.

Which item on this list do you find most important and why?