How Nigerian creative entrepreneur Ruth Ojougboh transformed an intimate celebration of music, friendship and Christmas into an experience people look forward to year after year.
Some Christmas gatherings end when the music stops. Others become stories people tell long after the season is over.
For Nigerian creative entrepreneur and performing artist Ruth Ojougboh, popularly known as Karisma, what began as a Christmas celebration in her home for friends and family has gradually grown into something bigger.
Now entering its fifth edition, Jingles With Karisma is moving beyond the intimacy of a private home into a larger setting, while preserving the warmth, joy and personal connection that made it special.
For Karisma, Christmas has always been about more than carols and decorations. It brings memories of childhood excitement, new clothes, festive meals, dancing, family visits, laughter and celebrations that seem to stretch endlessly through December.
Those memories, together with her faith and love for music, inspired her to create a gathering where people could experience that same sense of joy and belonging.
Over time, the celebration developed a following of its own. Guests began looking forward to the next edition, while friends living abroad would ask her to wait until they returned home. Stories shared by attendees created curiosity among those who had never experienced it.
Yet what stays with Karisma is not simply the excitement surrounding the event.
“Some people come heavy and leave light,” she says. “That, for me, is one of the most beautiful things about Jingles. People come carrying different things, but somewhere between the music, the laughter and being together, something shifts. They leave happier, lighter and with beautiful memories.”
As the celebration evolves, so does its creative expression. Beloved Christmas carols are reimagined through fresh arrangements, contemporary sounds and subtle African musical influences, bringing familiar melodies to life in unexpected ways.
Music remains at its heart, complemented by dancing, festive cocktails, finger foods, thoughtful gifts and a spirit of generosity that reflects Karisma’s belief in sharing the joy of the season.
“It started with friends and family, but it has become bigger than me singing,” says Ruth Ojougboh, Founder and Creative Director of Jingles With Karisma. “Today, it’s about bringing talented people together, creating something beautiful and giving others the opportunity to experience the joy we have shared over the years.”
For Karisma, the journey reflects a simple conviction: the most meaningful celebrations are not necessarily remembered for how elaborate they were, but for how they made people feel.
And perhaps that is what continues to give Jingles With Karisma its enduring appeal: the familiar magic of Christmas, the joy of human connection and the possibility that someone might arrive carrying the weight of life and leave a little lighter.
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