It is that time again.  Yes.  You-Know-What is just a couple of weeks away.  Some years, I love the whole Christmas Season… other years, I can be a bit of a Scrooge.

I think I am less Scrooge-ish in my life than I ever have been. On the other hand…. I don’t go swoopy-in-the-head over decorations, and lights, and that whole deal.

But one thing is for sure…. every year. Christmas time conjures up all sorts of memories.

My thoughts become filled with sugar plums dancing…. cookies baking…. Jack Frost nipping at my nose… all things swirling around “The Magic of Christmas”…..

You know…. When I first learned about Christmas… as a kid… it truly was all very magical. I was first introduced to the story in the Bible about the miraculous birth of Christ. But the story in itself is very intriguing and mysterious. A family traveling in the dark of night, following a star to their destination, kings coming and bearing gifts, the birth of a child in the midst of palm trees, and manger animals. Angels singing. Peace on Earth.

For a little girl in downtown Dayton, Ohio… this was a reverie of images and ideas.

As if that wasn’t enough. Next I learn about the other part of Christmas…. which becomes the “fantastical” part for children in our culture. This guy… jolly and bright… who lives at the North Pole….  And not in just any old house.  His home is trimmed with candy canes, gum drops and icing.  This red-suited man twitches his nose and scooches up and down chimneys  … employs loads of little elves… has flying reindeer… a toy workshop…

At any rate… this guy… it is like he JUST KNOWS if you are naughty or nice. If you behave, you get TOYS! Make a list. Check it twice. Mail it northward, and on Christmas morning… right before a huge breakfast… you get to wake up early and rip into beautiful packages with YOUR name on them.

Fisher-Price Little People.  Rock’Em Sock ‘Em Robots. A 10-in-1 Magic Kit. Leggos. Playdough. Holy Pajamas…. My palms are getting sweaty as I type this.

Yes, revisiting these memories in a wonderful thing.

But amidst all the anticipation, frolic and festivity… there was an incredible sense of happiness, joy, and love in the air.

And it is that feeling…. that hits me… when I see “Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer” on TV… or see a beautifully decorated tree. It warms me through and through.

That magic all comes back. From the very top of the story I learned as a child… all the way down to the bells on the tip of the elves’ little green boots. It is like a big warm hug… which reminds me that there are still a lot of good people in the world. Good people, with noble thoughts and intentions and deeds. Fine people helping one another and showing exceptional acts of kindness. Following that shining star. Doing the next right thing.

That… to me… is the magic of Christmas.

No wonder people start decorating WAY before Halloween.

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” -K.Gibran