Christmas Wish

I used to love fanta, man
used to share a bottle with my cousins waitin on the Santaman
but not the fat guy with the presents, red suit and a beard
i'm talking about having my whole family present and near
just pouring out of granny's house, kids spilling into the yard
i'm talking bout the kind of christmas you wont find in a hallmark card
the air filled with the aroma of food enough to feed a nation
boiling in humungous pots watched over by ladies full of jubilation
holding back children creating havoc and building a ravenous hunger
i'm talking about this spell of universal togetherness we seemed to be under
babies screaming, babies yelling, babies laughing and babies crying,
this spirit so beautiful it gave life back to men who were dying
men playing omuweeso and telling ancient jokes
i remember licking at the bottoms of empty fanta bottles and cokes
and starving and waiting and running around to try and forget
until someone yelled out, "Food is ready, come and get!"
and how we raced to fill our stomachs till we douldnt take no more
yet we went on eating till our tummies were sore
and endless relatives who seemed to invent themselves for that day
they came out in record numbers but no one got turned away
nobody cared who showed up, no one asked any questions
we came together for that one day and just handed out blessings
there was so much food, mountains of it in jajja's house
but even more than that, there was so much love flowing out
all was forgiven, old wounds were miraculously healed
like nothing could ruin that day, Christmas was like a shield
because it wasnt about the gifts or even the birth of Christ
it was family laughing together and everyone just being nice
just so much food, so much love, so much has changed since then
man, Christmas used to mean something, i remember back when-

-when the air was filled with that beautiful Christmas spirit
still somewhere inside me, every now and then i hear it
so my Christmas wish, dear Angel at the top of my tree
is that this year you could give my childhood Christmas back to me.