Preview: Everything that makes Christmas magical- Santa, cookies, the Elf on the Shelf, Christmas morning excitement and the perfect gift- all happen because the magic of Christmas is Mom.
The magic of Christmas
When I was about six years old, we were driving home from my great aunt’s house (like we did every year) when I saw a twinkle in the sky. Staring out the back window of our sedan, I SWEAR I saw Santa. It was such a quick “flash” in the sky but I knew it was him.
I remember looking as hard as I could at the dark sky, examining every star for that extra twinkle that might mean Santa was still there.
My mom remembers me yelling from the backseat and almost jumping up and down with the sheer thrill and innocence that only childhood allows.
I never thought there could be anything more exciting than experiencing the magic of Christmas- until I became the magician.
Not a creature was stirring, except Mom, the Christmas magician
This all occurred to me one night while I was sitting on the floor wrapping gifts at 1 am. Long after everyone had gone to sleep, I had to stay up and wrap because if I didn’t, there wouldn’t be a Christmas morning with gifts under the tree. Then I would miss the look of little faces full of a joy that is unmatched any other time out of the whole, entire year.
When you become “Mom”, you are invisibly handed over the wand to create “Christmas magic”. The constantly moving Elf, delicious Christmas cookies, a living room full of the perfect gifts (“how did Santa know I wanted this?!”), and the orchestra of Christmas Day fun- it all comes to life now because of you.
While everyone else is ready to relax and enjoy the holiday- you are prepping for the big dance. I know that your job is just starting.
And it is a BIG job to be a magician.
To start, did you know that Christmas cookies are sprinkled in “magic”? How else does one bite transport you into the holiday spirit? That’s Mom magic. We slave over the stove, covered in flour to make sugar cookies and grandma’s famous chocolate balls- but it’s not about the cookies. It’s about tradition. It’s about instilling a comforting sense of “we have to have chocolate balls because we always have them at Christmas” and building a memory that brings them right back to this kitchen, standing next to you, singing Christmas carols and spilling flour all over the floor.
And, *Spoiler alert*- the Elf on the Shelf does not fly on his own. That Christmas “magic”? That is you too. You dig him out of a box after Thanksgiving and prepare for a month of dread. Then, after his first arrival, your kids bound out of bed desperately searching for that little elf with such joy that you realize it’s worth getting out of bed at 2 am in a panic because you forgot to move him. The marshmallow “elf” baths and mischievous toilet papered trees? Your kids will remember that “Christmas magic” forever… and so will you.
Do you know who makes a list and checks it twice? It ain’t the guy in the red suit. It’s the lady in the yoga pants with the messy bun and a pen in her hair.
Moms don’t just run in the store and grab a few presents. We plan, we make lists (we hide lists), we probe for ideas. Moms KNOW their kids. We know what they love, what they hate, and what they already have. Moms love their children so deeply that we can choose the gifts that make their little faces light up on Christmas morning- because that is why we do it. That look on their faces when their mouths drop open, their eyes grow wide, and they gasp that “O.M.G.” breath all lets us know all that planning and shopping and wrapping was worth it. The excitement of Christmas morning- that is Mom too.
Hiding gifts in your grocery cart, finding hiding places for them in the house, wrapping gifts after bedtime, eating Santa’s cookies, leaving his footprints in flour on the kitchen floor- and all the other things you do to create the illusion that Christmas happens because of toy-making elves and with a wiggle of Santa’s nose- well, that’s all a special kind of magic that only a moms can perform.
Your kids will not remember what they got for Christmas when they were 8, but they will remember that lady behind the camera sipping her coffee and smiling as they climbed down the steps and ran for the tree. They will remember the hugs, the cookies, the elf searches, and the excitement of Christmas morning- all because of you Mom. You are Christmas magic.
And when I asked you what YOU really wanted for Christmas, you said all you wanted was for your family to be happy. They are, because of you. I know how much you sacrifice to make that happen. And I bet you realize that being the Christmas magician is truly a gift only motherhood could bring. <3
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