The Magic of Christmas

Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”  

Chris Van Allsburg The Polar Express

I’m enjoying the leisurely days I’ve had since final exams are over and the grades all turned in.  This morning I lit the fire, turned on the lights to my Christmas tree, grabbed a steaming cup of coffee, a yummy oatmeal cookie and settled in on our comfortable living room sofa.  As I was setting there wrapped up in the coziness, out of the corner of my eye I noticed one of my favorite children’s book.  I had unpacked it,along with the other holiday decorations; The Polar Express…do you remember how it starts?

I began reading it silently, but then decided it deserved to be read out loud.

“One Christmas eve, many years ago I lay quietly in my bed.  I did not rustle the sheets.  I breathed slowly and silently.  I was listening for a sound…a sound a friend had told me I’d never hear…the ringing bells of Santa’s sleigh.”  

I love how Chris Van Allsburg captures the wonder and magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child.   His poetic words and fascinating illustrations act like a magic carpet ride, carrying me off to the Polar Express "filled with other children, in their pajamas, singing Christmas carols and eating candies with nougat centers as white as snow."

A few weeks ago we invited one of our favorite couples for dinner; the wife is a third grade teacher.  She said the kids in her class were nearly busting out of their boots in anticipation of Santa’s arrival.  I asked her, “So they still believe in Santa in the third grade?” I was a bit surprised as I think of our little children as being more worldly these days.  She replied, “You know, I think they are questioning the believability of it all, but they don’t dare speak of it…because perhaps then, Santa may not pay them a visit anymore.”

We  both reminisced about our childhood experiences and how disappointed we were when we reached our own conclusion that Santa wasn’t real.  My friend talked about a time when her children were young and she heard them whispering about Santa in their bedroom, She said she couldn’t help but listen through the crack in the door, as she heard them analyzing the facts and coming to a reasonable verdict.  She said her oldest daughter, about 10 at the time, sounded like an attorney wrapping up this important case……”I just don’t think there is a Santa,” she spoke emphatically,…”it just doesn’t make sense.  The pieces just don’t fit!"  Her youngest child, Joey (8 at the time) quickly spoke up with a squeaky, panicky voice… "What …Santa Claus isn’t real? Ohhhhh no, whatever you do, don’t tell Mom and Dad….they’ll be heartbroken!”

I have thought about this sweet story several times and it's a reminder to me that although we know the truth about Santa, we can still live in the magic through someone else's eyes.

With the twinkling tiny lights on my Christmas tree as a back drop, I turn to the final page of The Polar Express.  I read the words with a deep sigh and wistfully imagine that the magic will live on; “At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them.  Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound.  Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”

May you hear the bell this Christmas day, and may the magic dwell in your hearts forever.  Merry Christmas from my home to yours, Karen

Post your thoughts on the blog, or email me at: smallsteps4bigresults@yahoo.com
 
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Responses from last week's blog:
My thanks to those of you who responded to my blog last week and shared your own pain of opening up your heart and dealing with the tragedy that will no doubt mark this sad time in our history for years to come.

 

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