Every December, the air at Murtala Muhammed Airport feels electric. Laughter rises above the luggage belts, conversations mix accents; British, American, Canadian, Nigerian, and there’s an unspoken excitement that fills the space. The “I Just Got Backs” have landed.

December in Nigeria is more than a holiday, it’s a season of return. For diasporans scattered across the world, it’s a time to reconnect with family, with friends, and with a version of home that only exists in their memories. Lagos, especially, becomes the heartbeat of this movement. The city doesn’t just host December; it transforms for it.

From concerts to weddings, boat cruises to brunches, Christmas parties to reunions, Lagos in December turns into a stage, one that is vibrant, crowded and unpredictable. For the diaspora, it’s not just about visiting home. It’s about feeling home again, even if only for a few weeks.

The IJGB Wave

The “I Just Got Back” label started as a joke, but it has now grown into a cultural identity. You can spot them easily, with sneakers too white, accents softened by years abroad and phones out to record everything. They move through the city with curiosity and nostalgia, equal parts confident yet also slightly out of place, experiencing a phenomenon called reverse culture shock.

The return has become a modern routine. People plan for it all year; saving, booking tickets, aligning vacations with concert dates and group gatherings. For some, it’s their first time back in years. For others, it’s an annual tradition. They come from different parts of the world, trading winter coats for linen shirts and long traffic rides.

Once they land, Lagos greets them like an old friend; noisy, impatient, but always full of life. Before the jet lag wears off, they’re already out, catching up with old friends, visiting family, or heading to one of the many December events that crowd the calendar throughout their stay.

The Lagos December Economy

For Lagosians, December isn’t just a festive period, it’s business season. The city’s creative and entertainment industries depend heavily on the influx of returning citizens. Concerts multiply in their numbers, restaurants expand their menus, and shortlet apartments double their price ranges. Stylists, makeup artists, event planners and photographers are fully booked weeks ahead. Even small businesses feel the shift, from food vendors outside clubs or hotels to taxi drivers who know how to detect a foreign accent and adjust their fares accordingly.

This homecoming season known as Detty December has quietly become an informal tourism industry, one powered by nostalgia as well as social media. Every year, Lagos markets itself without trying, through various vlogs, Instagram stories, and TikTok clips with the tag #dettydecember.

The diaspora doesn’t just bring energy, they bring spending power. The exchange rate might be more pronounced on a normal day, but in December, it’s part of the experience.

Homecoming and Connection

Beyond the parties and nightlife, December is about reconnecting. Many come home for weddings, family reunions, or simply to feel the pulse of the place they left. For those who live abroad, there’s often an emotional urgency behind the trip; to see aging parents, to visit old friends, to take trips to older locations and to catch up on the life they’ve missed.

Hence, the first few days are always intense. Lagos becomes so overwhelming, with the traffic, the heat, the chaos. Yet it’s also grounding. The city feels alive in a way that no other place does. The food tastes different, conversations sound warmer, the air feels better.

There’s also the subtle tension of returning to a place that’s familiar but no longer exactly the same. Friends have changed over time, slang has evolved, and even the city’s energy feels different. For many returnees, the trip home becomes an exercise in adjustment, of learning to move with Lagos’ rhythm again.

Lagos, Love, and December Romance

Another layer to The Return Season is the pursuit of connection that goes beyond family or friendship. December in Lagos has quietly become a social phenomenon. People meet, mingle, and sometimes fall in love. Between all the unending events all around, the period feels like a network in motion. In the end, some connections turn into lasting ones, while others fade with the season.

There’s a certain honesty about it. People come home open to possibility, whether that’s love, friendship, or just shared memories. Even the short-lived moments feel real because they happen in a city that amplifies everything: the music, the laughter, the chemistry.

Between Belonging and Distance

Beneath the excitement lies something quieter. Returning home often brings a mix of joy and displacement. The diaspora experience changes how you see things, small frustrations stand out, systems feel slower, and yet there’s a deep sense of familiarity that never fades.

Many returnees talk about the feeling of being in-between, not entirely local, but not foreign either. You recognize the jokes, the rhythm of speech, the small cultural cues. But you also catch yourself comparing things, how efficient systems are elsewhere, how different life feels abroad.

That contrast can be both grounding and unsettling. It is a reminder that identity isn’t static. The December return is not just about coming back physically, it’s about re-evaluating where one belongs emotionally and culturally.

The Season Ends, the Connection Stays

By January, the collective energy tapers off. The concerts end, the parties thin out, and the city returns to its regular rhythm. The same airports that welcomed the diaspora now host their departures. There are long hugs, quiet promises to “come back next year,” and one last round of photos before security gates close.

Yet, even after the flights take off, Lagos lingers in the minds of these people. For many, the memories of family dinners, music-filled nights and small reconnections, carry them through the months ahead. The Return Season leaves behind a mix of nostalgia and motivation. It's more than just a vacation, it's a reminder of where their stories began, and a reassurance that no matter how far they go, there’s always a place that recognizes them completely, flaws, accent, and all.

Why It Matters

The annual December return says something larger about connection and culture. It shows how deeply place still matters, even in a globalized world. It is proof that migration doesn’t erase identity, it just reshapes it.

For Lagos, it’s a chance to host its global and dispersed ones. For the diaspora, it’s a time to reset, to see home through new eyes, to blend what they’ve learned abroad with where they come from. And for everyone, it is a reminder that home is not a fixed location.