To those who make Christmas happen "by magic":

• Those who make Christmas cookies.  Dozens, because everyone has a different favorite that tastes like Christmas to them.  Those who make them with a toddler (that NEVER counts as “extra help”!) and those who make them alone.  Those who make them from scratch, those who create works of art, and those who use a tube of cookie dough. 

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• Those who freeze their fingers off cutting down their own trees, and those who bought their artificial tree years ago.  Those who decorate Instagram-worthy trees with perfectly-spaced ornaments, those whose trees are heaviest on the lower limbs thanks to tiny decorators, those whose trees are heaviest at the top thanks to wagging tails and kitty claws, and those whose tiny tree creations are placed in the room of a patient at a hospital or nursing home.

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• Those who shop thoughtfully for loved ones near and far, those who accept suggestions to be sure their gifts are perfect, and those who lovingly give cash.   Those who make sure the traditions (of Christmas pajamas, an annual commemorative ornament, or the stocking stuffer toothbrush) happen yet again.  Those who stay up past midnight on Christmas Eve putting together Christmas secrets, whether 1,000,000 pieces of a plastic kitchen or a 16 foot trampoline (in the cold with a neighbor’s shop light).  Those who demonstrate Christmas isn’t only for exchanging gifts with our loved ones, but an opportunity to give from our abundance to those in need.

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• Those who host an enormous feast, those who pack up and travel, those who make a guilt-free agreement to spend the big day at home in their PJs, and those who gather to a simple meal of Chinese food just to enjoy each other. ​

 

• Those who put up lights, yard decorations, trains around a tree, or nativities.  Those who move a naughty elf around their house, take bites from cookies and carrots left for a jolly fat man and his reindeer, or make sure Santa’s presents show no sign of packaging or being made anywhere other than the Elves’ workshop.  Those who make handmade stockings, line their street with luminary candles, cuddle on a pew at Christmas Eve service, stir eggnog, read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to a child, or whisper “Happy Birthday Jesus” at dark o’clock in the morning because little ones are too excited to go back to sleep!!

 

• Those who know the True reason for the season, and because of Him spread Christmas cheer in their churches, communities, and workplaces.

• Those who take photos on Christmas Eve of stacks of perfectly wrapped presents amid a beautifully clean room,  and those who regret that they just didn’t get there this year, and turn out the lights on a bit of a mess.

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• Those whose magic will be missed due to distance, military service, illness, or death, and those whose magic is currently taken for granted year after year, THANK YOU for the magic. 

You make it look so effortless that your loved ones might not quite realize the effort that goes into making it all happen.  (If you enjoy the magic-making of someone in your life, please take time to appreciate what they add to your family with each special memory!)  If you feel like you are doing it all alone, know that your fellow magic-makers recognize you!! 

So accept a wink, a smile, a hug, and a thank you from me and someone around you who is in on the secret: 
It’s not magic, it’s LOVE!!