A Christmas Eve Memory

When I was about 10 years old,I remember having trouble sleeping because I was so excited about Santa Claus and the reindeer. Since I was 10 years old,I did try to convince myself that it was just pretend. However,I stayed up late listening on Christmas Eve...I was incredibly thrilled to actually hear bells and reindeer hooves. Yes, I was 10, but I always believed in magic. Once I heard the sleigh bells,I did decide to fall asleep...so Christmas morning would arrive sooner.

Flash forward to a recent conversation with my younger sister about this particular Christmas eve. My sister recalled that she had a stomach ache,so went downstairs to tell our parents. Imagine her surprise when she saw our Mom & Dad wrapping presents. They quickly told her that they "were Santa's helpers." She kind of believed them and went back to bed. She told me that a little while after she had seen our parents...she heard bells and reindeer hooves on our roof. So,she too,was reassured and fell asleep. She and I had never discussed this before. She then told me that she was convinced it was our Dad up on the roof creating the magic for us.

It made sense actually. Our Dad was jewish and our Mom is southern baptist. The 2 of them did an excellent job of raising us with respect for other people's religious beliefs. They took us to a variety of churches and synagogues so we could experience other faiths. Our Dad loved to celebrate Christmas with us. Our Mom loved to celebrate Hanukkah with us. I agree with my sister that he went on the roof to make sure that my sister and I were able to continue to enjoy the magic of Christmas.

It was such a wonderful memory to share with my sister.

Wishing each of you the wonder of magical possibilities on this Christmas Eve and always.