The magic of Christmas…
One of the most amazing things about Christmas is that it allows you to believe. No matter how old you are… you are given the license to open your imagination and share the excitement of youth. Your memories from times gone by flood in. It is truly a special and creative time of the year.
Like a great brand, Christmas touches you on every sensory level with sounds, lights, fragrances, and tastes, and it owns a giant space deep in our minds. Christmas is the true brand.
We can believe and share the stories of an elf in a red suit with a team of flying reindeer who can travel the globe. We share the tale of the baby in the manger surrounded by animals and three wise men. It is an opportunity for joy and hope with traditions handed down through generations.
At our house, Christmas is special. We decorate the whole place and celebrate with a tree filled with ornaments handed down over the years. The shelves are packed with Christmas memories and photos, which start stories and memories connecting us with relatives and friends who are gone. Christmas music fills the house and awakens visions from long ago.
Christmas is a time machine that allows us to reconnect with our past instantly. When I hear Dean Martin sing ‘Let it Snow, Let it Snow’, I am instantly transported back in time; I am seven years old and sitting and talking with my grandfather. The smell of shortbread baking sends me back to the kitchen I grew up in. When the Grinch comes on, I’m back in the Roxy Theatre in Uxbridge with my 3-year-old daughter. It is magic.
Memories and traditions are the most important aspects of developing a family. I love the fact that I can allow myself to believe in Santa, Baby Jesus and even Sasquatch and share my childhood tales with everyone that I care for.
In one of my last conversations with my father, he said ‘Never let them take away Christmas’ and as long as I believe I will spread the magic.
Merry Christmas from all the elves at Say What!
ho, ho, ho… grant ivens
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