Christmas Magic

I will share with you that Christmas is still a magic time for me. When I was a kid, I grew up in Texas. My parents would drive from the coast of Texas to Fort Worth to be with my grandparents. We typically would arrive after dark on Christmas Eve. My sister and I would sit in the back seat of the car, looking to the sky to see if we could see Santa and his sleigh. That activity was encouraged by a radio station: Santa would be sighted “on radar,” and they could tell us about where he was in the sky. My parents even had to stop the car at times to let us look. I recall on some occasions we would see a flash across the sky and determine that must be Santa.

By the time we got to my grandparents’ home that Christmas Eve, Santa had already been there, he had put out the presents, and he had eaten his cookies and drank his milk. We were so excited.

Some years we would arrive at my grandparents before that Christmas Eve. Then Santa would not “arrive” until Christmas morning. We could actually hear him on the roof. We had to stay hidden, because if he saw us, he would leave and not leave us any presents. Again, he ate the cookies and drank the milk.

The excitement of Santa has been replaced for me by the excitement of seeing my family. Sometimes we can all get together; sometimes we just call each other as we are opening presents. We are not hardcore that you have to open on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. We have always been flexible about that.

In fact, after I got married, it would not be unusual for us to drive to Fort Worth from Kansas, have Christmas Eve, and then load up and drive back to Kansas for a late Christmas dinner with my wife’s family. It was a lot of trouble, it was always special and fun, and it was always worth it.

This year, all of my children will be home for Christmas. My grandchildren will be here. I don’t know if we will be together for a day or a week, but even a moment makes it a special, magical Christmas.

We hope you all have a special, magical Christmas with your loved ones.