I was talking to my mailman and he was telling me a story about his 8 year old daughter. She is reaching the age that children start questioning magical things. They were at the mall and she saw a display for elf on a shelf. She asked her dad if you can buy it in a store how is it magical? I told him to tell her that is part of the magic, but all adults know the true magic of Christmas lives in the eyes of children.
I love the look on the eyes of children awaking Christmas morning to see Santa had been there while they slept. And the joy when they open their gifts to find just what their hearts wished for that year. Or the wonder at how Santa squeezed down a chimney that was way too small for him to get in. When I was little I was lucky we had a real fire place so Santa had no problem getting into our house.
We did not get many toys when I was little, but we had lots of love. My brother and I had a deal whoever woke up first on Christmas morning would wake the other. We had a small house so I slept with my mom and my little brother slept with my dad in the same room our other 2 sisters and 1 brother had the other bedroom. It was cute to see me or my little brother quietly craw out over the foot of the beds, because our sides of the beds were against the wall. Whichever one who woke up first would slip quietly to the foot of the other bed and whisper to the other child that we should go see what Santa got us. The funniest thing was on the mornings we were not awake by 6 am my dad would call us by name and say Santa has been there. Immediately after we would hear my mom yells at our dad to LET THEM SLEEP! Now think about this would we still be sleeping after she yelled at dad? It did not matter though, because we were already awake and dad would just laugh at mom when she yelled and he followed us down the stairs to watch us open our presents. I really think dad enjoyed it more than us.
It is sad to say but I really think Christmas as we know it would have stopped being a big celebration long ago if it were not for the magic in children’s eyes. It is the light of magic and wonder in children that keeps the Christmas light burning, and how appropriate is that when you consider Christmas started with a child?
It is only fitting we say a few words about the first child to have a Christmas which also happened to be his birthday. Long ago in a land far away a baby was born and with that baby’s births the hopes of a better world. The magic that year was the birth of a beautiful baby to a virgin, and with it the hope of all mankind for love and forgiveness.
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like today if that baby had never been born? The world would have gone on, but in what form? Once a year people are nicer to others. I myself was the receiver of a special Christmas gift Sunday. I friend of mine sent me a Christmas card with a gift card inside. I had not expected this generous gift. That gift that came to me from a kind giving heart that wanted nothing more than to make me happy is part of the magic of Christmas. It is always magic when someone thinks of another with no thought of what they may get back by doing it. On a personal note Thank You Tony for your thoughtfulness. It was very kind of you to think of me.
