The cold has come earlier this year to my sweet little Mexican town. And after our seemingly thousand degree summer, the low sixties does nothing less than chill me to the bone. My thin nightgown, the same one that seemed like wool in the summertime is suddenly as useless as a single layer of Kleenex. My toes are little ice cubes. And forget my nighttime shower ritual. I need all the heat I can get. Maybe that’s why I got out the comforter tonight. OoOo…can’t wait. Silly girl, you say. But its not just because I like to be warm. Oh, no. It’s much, much more than that. (Here, come closer, let me whisper the truth into your ear.) You see, with comforters come cold faces and toasty warm bodies, one of the juiciest ways to dream. And with December so near, I’m afraid it’s inevitable. For me, anyway. Dreaming in December always seems to take me to the same magical, dreamy-eyed place. A place I look forward to each and every year. Can you guess? Yep, it's Christmas. Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. Like I said, OoOo….can’t wait.
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“Have you ever seen Santa Claus,” I asked my mom in the parking lot as we walked into Safeway, hand in hand. “I mean, the real one?” It was dark. I could already see the moon. But in Washington State that just meant after five o’clock.
“I don’t think so. Maybe once when I was a very little girl, but I was never very sure. There wasn’t anyone around to confirm it.” She shrugged, playing along like she always did, careful to side step my delicately tended imagination, the garden of my youth. And especially near Christmas time.
Just then I looked up into the sky and right there in front of the twinkling stars, I saw something moving. “Mom! Look! It’s Santa! There's Santa!” A family friend who was walking with us dared to roll his eyes, to chuckle to my mother as if I wouldn’t notice. My mother squeezed my hand. I had noticed and she knew it.
“Where, honey? Show me!” Her eyes eager, caring, trying as best she could to water my imagination.
But it was too late. Santa was gone. Or rather, the wonder-filled bubble I was blowing was popped. Popped by a man who didn’t know the gift my mother was giving me. Popped by a man who didn’t remember the magic of a child’s imagination. Popped by a man who’s life never knew enchantment as an adult and sadly, never would.
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My Wednesday Wish for You?
To check in with yourSelf this first week of December and, if need be, readjust your attitude toward Christmas. It may be one of the coldest times of the year but perhaps like me, your dreams will start to come alive. It may be a time when you feel overwhelmed or even depressed by all the shopping and buying and superficial yearnings that empty your pockets dry, among other things, no doubt. But perhaps, like the disenchanted man of my childhood, maybe you too, have forgotten what Christmas is really all about. Maybe you accidentally forgot the most important stuff. But don't worry. We all have at some point in our lives. You’re human, after all. And anyway, they’re never far away. None of the best things are. They always live inside of us, waiting for their turn to be reached for and cherished again. So how? How do you get back to not just seeing but feeling the magic of the season with childlike wonder again? It's simple. You give. You give of yourSelf, your talents, your love, your heart. That, is my wish for you as we begin to move closer to the holidays...to remember the magic of Christmas.
(bonus video below)
9 comments:
What a delightful post. The best way I know to keep joy in the season is to see the wonder of it through the eyes of a child.
I agree, Susan...one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and others, even all year long, is to see thru the eyes of a child. Best part is, when you do it long enough, you start seeing thru the eyes of a magic-believing adult. Maturity catches up and wonder takes on a whole new depth.:)
Oh, Brynne... I lost the enchantment of Christmas from about the age of 11, to the age of about 30. Then, something wondrous happened: I rediscovered my belief in the magic and joy of the season; the anticipation of Santa (not for myself, for others; especially children); the enchantment weaved into the very fibers of this time of year. I love it.
Dear, dear Coco...soOo happy you made it back to where it felt better! What happened? Did you fall in love?:) I have a secret...I still get excited about Santa. Maybe not the gifts, (well, some of them!), but more the dream of him and what he represents. Give that back to yourself, too, wont you, dear soul? If I could give it to you in your stocking this Christmas morning, I would:)
How do you do it, Brynne? How do you see directly into my heart? I needed to read this so badly. The past few years I have lost my love for Christmas, for all the reasons you mentioned. Black Friday epitomizes it all. The materialism, the spending that we can't afford, all the to-dos on my list....it wears me out. Christmas really is for children so it seems. I will TRY to do what you suggest. I really don't want to be a grinch.
My dad always loved the thrill of Santa magic and egged the children on by discreetly exiting the house, grabbing his flashlight, and pretending he was the jolly old man shining the light through the window.
Sometimes he dramatized inside the house. He stood by the window and shushed all the children. When he had everyone’s full attention he said, “Listen, don’t you hear them? Sleigh bells.” And pointing outside toward the moon with such liveliness that any disbeliever would have fallen for his make-believe fervor he exclaimed, “There he is, there he is, don’t you see him riding through the sky with Rudolph leading the team!” We children were spellbound.
I haven’t lost that sense of wonder exactly, but I have become dismayed over the rape of the sacred by our culture, and have grown weary of the materialistic blitzkrieg. I only wish for the simple joy and peace that is the true meaning of Christmas. That’s my heart’s truest wish.
Dear, dear Michael Ann...I hear you. And you aren't alone. You are sensitive, as I am, and we pick up on the energies of people, especially when those energies live in many many people. But you are bigger than those energies. You know what matters in life and your light will shine thru even the ugliest of attitudes. Thats why you work with preschoolers, some of the most authentic souls on the planet. Their open hearts feed your light as they once fed mine. And that beautiful light needs to be fed. And fed often. If I could give you anything, beautiful soul, I would give you time. Time to sit and breathe. Time to be in nature with nothing to do. Time to take a nap or sit in a cozy chair with a cup of tea. Time to stare and time to weep and time to listen to the quiet voices inside your heart that know where you need to be. Always. Always. Listen and you will hear. And know you aren't alone. I understand. And I care. And I know you can bring back the magic in your Christmas. Its never left you, my friend.
The magic and wonder of our childhood....goodness, Debra...arent those memories priceless?! What a father you had!! I can see you there, wide-eyed and sparkling from your heart, both loving your father and loving the magic seeds he was planting in your imagination. Few things have come with less effort into my adult life than the magic of my childhood. If only we didnt forget how to cultivate those magical imagination moments as adults....I just know we'd all smile a lot more!:) I always love the responses you share here, Debra. You inspire and invigorate those childhood sparkles in me! Thank you!
Brynne, this post has come at the perfect time for me because I'm feeling so disenchanted with the consumerism and need to buy, buy, and buy exhibited by friends and loved ones. Whatever happened to sipping egg nog by the fire, creating homemade cards and presents, and wonderful potluck dinners where everyone brought something? It makes me sad to realize traditions and customs are getting lost in all the bruha of a commercialized season. This lovely post of yours served to remind me that the magic of Christmas is not dead, it just needs to be reawakened. I've missed you by my blog, lady! Do drop by when the spirit moves you! :)
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