Christmas magic. These two words have enveloped children’s hearts with joy for hundreds of years and have filled their eyes with wonder and excitement. I am ashamed to admit that I have lost the sense of Christmas magic, getting too easily wrapped up in this train ride called life. Recent events have reopened my eyes to what these magnificent words entail.
The magic of Christmas always filled the air around the winter months, as parents got secretive and suspicious, telling you not to look in certain cupboards and going on shopping expeditions without providing a reason why you should stay home. From personal experience, I can vouch that my own mother never spared any expense when it came to gifts. She was the Mother of Christmas and carried the load of magic with her, sharing with whomever she could. Christmas was never centered around just the gifts; we also had big family dinners with games and laughter filling the room. But it didn’t hurt getting 90% of the things you had asked for. I never realized how much of the Christmas magic I experienced was wrapped in those gifts.
We have recently made some big changes, and it hit me like a brick in the face; the cutbacks that came with the changes meant having a more modest Christmas in the gift department. Nonetheless, my mother did everything in her power to keep our spirits up while warning us not to expect too much. It got me thinking about what Christmas means to me, and even though I would always answer that I liked the gathering of friends and family most, I began doing some deep introspection. See, it’s easy to lie to yourself when you know how to suppress the truth deep enough. Easing the grip on the truth, I let it come close enough to the surface to realize that I have, for years, created a false concept of the very magic I claimed to experience. I was only ever experiencing excitement and curiosity. Magic entails so much more than that…
Magic is what cannot be seen nor touched. It cannot be wrapped or crafted. It remains in each of us, and it is our choice to let it surface — to let it fill your soul and bubble out of us and into others. Magic shows itself different to each of us, and we must remain open-hearted and open-minded to its presence. Magic, I have come to believe, can only be created by our decision to. Christmas magic, therefore, is not in the air; it is in the very essence of your being, and we simply need to stop relying on others to bring it to the table. We need to believe that we have the ability and power to create it. Regardless of a small or colossal Christmas gift collection, the magic should depend on each of us individually. You decide how happy you are. The lack of gifts or 10 side dishes at Christmas dinner shouldn’t determine the magic in your heart and soul.
I am not the poster person for creating your own magic, but I do believe that realizing your mistake is the first step to correcting it. Christmas may not have been showered with gifts this year (and who knows for how long), but the essence of Christmas no longer depends on gifts in my mind. The truth is no longer suppressed but surfaced and released. Decide to create, feel, and reproduce the Christmas magic. Strive to show others how magical these seasons can be, regardless of the amount of gifts or money that goes along with it.
Be the magic you wish to see in Christmas and the New Year.