The Magic of Christmas

I remember Christmas being a charmed time when I was a kid.

As you waited for the twenty-fifth of December to arrive, the anticipation stretched the month into a festive season, from decorating the tree to going to Mass on Christmas Eve. The days in between were filled with baking Christmas treats with Mum, writing cards for all your classmates, going to carols by candlelight with the family, and writing Christmas lists, whilst my brother and I counted down the days on our Advent calendars. And on Christmas Eve, we always made sure to put out Christmas cake for Santa, and a carrot for Rudolph, to refuel them during their big night of delivering presents.

My parents must be given full credit for their dedication in providing us with such magical times, right down to Rudolph’s appropriately gnawed carrot stick found in the morning amongst our presents. I feel very fortunate to have experienced Christmas in this way – many kids are never so lucky as to have presents, special meals and family time, having parents who struggle to provide in various ways.

However, lately I have wondered whether that magic I felt, that sense of excitement, anticipation and enchantment, is something precious, only to be experienced in our youth.

In recent years I have noticed an increasing number of people mentioning that “it just doesn’t feel like Christmas this year”. I know that I haven’t been caught up in that festive spirit for a long time. So where has this feeling, this magic gone?

As a firm (or stubborn) believer in Christmas magic, and all that it entails, I believe that this enchantment couldn’t have disappeared. Rather, perhaps as we get older we unfortunately lose the ‘Santa experience’ – the excitement of doing Christmas-y things throughout December which builds up the anticipation and enjoyment of the holiday.

When we were younger, our sense of family is still very much alive. Dependent on you parents, you also still enjoyed (somewhat, at least) hanging out with them. Christmas seemed then to be a month-long event, as days were spent helping Mum with the cooking, Dad with buying presents, and going to functions or carols as a family. But now, often the older we get, the less time we spend at home, and Christmas often becomes a brief holiday. Work or other commitments cause the festive season to be cut short, organising Christmas is rushed, and we do not have the time to enjoy the other twenty-four days.

Getting older also means we no longer have the innocence of childhood, when all we had to worry about was whether we’d been naughty or nice. Now, there are often other things on our mind to worry us or cause us anxiety at Christmas time.  We may have financial burdens and are conscious of spending money. Family conflicts may arise. Work might be stressing us out. Or there may be people we miss even more at this time of year. And whilst we’re busy worrying about these things, it is easy for Christmas to lose its magic and significance, and just become another holiday.

Added to all of this, of course, is the consumer driven side of the season, which constantly threatens to envelop us into a purely getting/giving mindset. We admittedly enjoy and indulge in presents, losing sight of what Christmas is actually about – the birth of Jesus. And regardless of whether you are religious or not, this celebration applies to everyone, as it is a celebration of life, family, love, and sharing. And with this comes the traditions: the family get-togethers, carol-going, passed-down Christmas recipes, leaving the Christmas cake out for Santa. This is where the magic begins.

So perhaps we don’t have to wait until we have our own kids to have that ‘Santa experience’ again. No-one is ever too old to feel the magic of Christmas – and that’s evident when you see the hoards of people (of all ages) lining up to look at the Myer Melbourne Christmas windows every year. And it is never too late.

Determined to bring some magic back to the festive season, I’ll be getting my Christmas on this year by singing along to Carols by Candlelight on telly; hosting a Christmas movie night (complete with eggnog, Christmas cookies, popcorn and good friends); baking Christmas treats with Mum; sending cards to those I rarely get to see; putting pressies for the family under the tree when they’ve gone to bed, Santa-style; helping out those less fortunate, either by volunteering or donating goods and toys; and wearing festive red on Christmas day.

Old traditions, new traditions, friends, family, life. Celebrate them all. And I hope you will feel a sprinkle of Christmas magic this year, as a result.

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