I would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas and holiday season. Thank you for your support through the year!
My parents taught me two special things about Christmas that I would like to share with you.
The first thing is about magic. There's nothing wrong with a little magic, as long as you celebrate the true reason of Christmas. When my children were old enough to no longer believe in Santa, they were disappointed. But, my mother told them to think about that happy, excited feeling you get right before you look to see if Santa visited that year. That is Santa magic...not the gifts, not the commercialism. The magic is the hope of better things to come, new adventures and things perhaps never seen before. Thank you, Mama, for always making sure our holidays are magical.
The next thing I want to share is about light. My Daddy shared this with me years ago, and every year, just like magic, I have come to appreciate his truthful words more and more. We were going or coming back from the grocery store (I think) and it was dark out. We were going down a road we traveled often, and I noticed the Christmas lights. I muttered something about the commercialism and spectacle of some of the lights. I am really not fond of how Christmas is one big sales pitch. He asked me if I knew why the people hung so many lights. I was surprised by this question and said 'no.' He went on to explain that for centuries, December was the darkest time. Food supplies would be lower, less light, coldness... The reason to celebrate in the midst of this time is to light things up and encourage good spirits and love, in an otherwise dark time. What an epiphany! It has never really struck me as that way before. Of course, religious reasons are there, too, but there is no doubt that all of the things we celebrate are tied together in this idea and calendar. Thank you, Daddy, for teaching me to recognize the light.
We all celebrate a little differently, but may you all enjoy the season blessed with magical light!