The True Magic of Christmas

Lately I've been a bit puzzled by this idea of Christmas magic. It's existence is mentioned in Christmas commercials, Hallmark movies and in many kids Christmas stories. Yet for some reason, I'm still a bit foggy on what the true magic of Christmas really is and if it survives time. I want you to think back to Christmas as a child, what made Christmas magical in your house? What things really remind you of Christmas? I spent some time this week asking friends and family those very questions. I wanted to know what specific things they associated with childhood Christmas. I wanted to dig into the very elements that they connect with Christmas. Perhaps by shining a light on the memories that survive into adulthood, we can narrow down the types of things we should spend our time, energy and money on in our own families today. Almost like a road map to finding the true lasting magic of Christmas.

In order to draw a fairly accurate conclusion, I made an effort to survey a fairly wide demographic (various ages, cultures, and genders). Here are a few of the answers I received from those surveyed: ° Attending a community tree lighting. ° Watching Christmas Vacation every year as a family. °The smells of shortbread and gingerbread from our kitchen. ° Sledding on Christmas Eve. °Red stockings. ° A snowman building contest on Christmas Eve. ° The loud chaotic house for Ukrainian Christmas. ° One year our home was broken into mid December and all of our gifts were stolen. I will never forget my parents trying to make Christmas amazing even though they couldn't afford much more. °Christmas oranges. ° The candlelight Christmas Eve Service every year. ° Christmas Eve lights scavenger hunt. °Skating and ice fishing on the lake. ° My grandpa's hand churned ice cream. ° The sounds of the same Christmas CD every Christmas morning. ° Opening new pajamas on Christmas Eve. ° Decorating the tree as a family on December 1st. °Walnuts with the shell. ° Fine china dishes and silver spoons at my grandparents. ° A garland with bells that hung in our house each year. °The endless haystack cookies °Listening to Boney M. Christmas °Getting to taste the gravy. °Playing card games as a family. ° The smells from the kitchen as turkey cooked. ° Reading the Christmas story before we went to bed. °Definitely eating golden grahams on Christmas morning. ° Making Christmas cards for seniors. ° Singing Christmas carols as a family. ° Driving around looking at the beautiful Christmas lights. ° The wood burning stove at my grandparents farmhouse. ° Beautiful bows, my mom always tied perfect bows. ° The Christmas village my mom would set up, it always seemed magical.

Not one of the people I surveyed responded that they remember a specific toy or gift from their childhood. In my own personal experience, I can't remember any of the gifts I received (sorry mom and dad). Well I guess that's not entirely true, I do remember a Barbie hairdressing set but I think it only stands out because I found it while snooping under my parents bed before Christmas. There is so much pressure on parents to find the perfect gifts. You buy all the tiny stocking stuffers, the Santa gifts, the gifts from yourself and some families even do gifts from their elf on a shelf. So much emphasis is placed on the gifts and yet the gifts have nothing to do with the long-term memories of Christmas. The magical moments that survive the test of time are far less materialistic; they are memories prominently crafted by the smells, sights and sounds in our home.

I have self declared myself Mrs. Christmas, I live and breathe all things Christmas during the month of December. The fact that lights are hanging in my kitchen might be a bit next level on the Christmas crazy scale but I couldn't care less. I'm focused on creating a special environment in our house, a place that just feels different when you walk in the door. Decorations in my bathroom may seem ridiculous to some people, but my kids' faces absolutely lit up when they saw them. I want Christmas to be more about magical experiences throughout the entire month and less about a twenty minute gift opening on December 25th.

Creating an experience based Christmas season doesn't have to be expensive. Take a look back at the above list of magical Christmas memories and you will quickly see many low cost ideas. I think in trying to craft the perfect Christmas we often get caught up in cluttering the month of December in chaos. The key is quality over quantity when it comes to creating those memories that stand the test of time. Memories that are so special, our children choose to recreate them with their own families in the years to come. Focus less on the items under the tree and more on making snow angels and blasting the corney Christmas music. I'm beginning to realize that the biggest ingredient in a magical Christmas is time, in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives there really is something magical about slowing down together. Wishing you and your family a Christmas filled with truly magical moments that will stand the test of time.