It has been ten years since I hosted a Christmas gathering in my home. Now, every year has been different with pet sitting and hanging out with animal companions, quiet celebrations with my daughter, Hannah, and attending church at Agape International Spiritual Center. We have big family gatherings in Florida to celebrate the holidays and my parent’s birthdays. Same birthday. Born in different years on December 29. They each turned 80, one year apart from each other.
So, how do you keep the magic alive when your Christmas ornaments, decorations and cookie cutters are in a small storage unit in California and you live all over the world?
Here are my favorite ways to keep the magic alive:
Music: Creating a holiday playlist on Spotify and listening to holiday music in coffee shops. Music is easy to take with me everywhere. Keeping the magic alive. My favorite Christmas song is “Good King Wenceslas”:
In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted; Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed. Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing, Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.
The song reminds me that some years we are the King or Queen marking the footsteps for someone in the snow. Some years we are the peasant who needs support. Sharing with each other is the true blessing at Christmas. It isn’t the stack of presents we give or receive, it is the sharing of blessings with a family member, a friend or a stranger. The magic is alive.
Christmas Traditions: My Swedish heritage has always been present at Christmas time. Baking Spritz cookies, banners with God Jul and Swedish ornaments.
My two favorite Swedish symbols:
The pixie. I know there is a ritual now with Elf on the Shelf, but growing up, we called the elves pixies. Our pixie had a card attached with a string with the words: The Pixie story. The story begins with, “As long as you have your pixie, you will prosper.” Prosper never meant money to me, it meant magic. As long as you have your pixie, you will be surrounded by magic and grace and blessings. Even in the darkest times with life challenges, my inner child keeps the pixie alive. The pixie is always with me. The magic is alive.
The Swedish Angel chimes. It is still magical when I light the candles and the heat rises to create movement in the air. The angels spin and the chimes ring. In that moment, I am still the little girl who believes in magic and goodness in the world. I sit quietly and watch it, barely breathing, feeling the infinite possibilities that are available to us at all times. The magic is alive.
The final magic is cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning breakfast. My father worked for Pillsbury when I was growing up and the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven, with the magic of the Pillsbury doughboy, always brings me back to childhood. It is also a way to connect with my daughters. Wherever we are, we bake cinnamon rolls and know that we are connected. The magic is alive.
It has been ten years since I hosted a Christmas gathering in my home. Now, every year has been different with pet sitting and hanging out with animal companions, quiet celebrations with my daughter, Hannah, and attending church at Agape International Spiritual Center. We have big family gatherings in Florida to celebrate the holidays and my parent’s birthdays. Same birthday. Born in different years on December 29. They each turned 80, one year apart from each other.
So, how do you keep the magic alive when your Christmas ornaments, decorations and cookie cutters are in a small storage unit in California and you live all over the world?
Here are my favorite ways to keep the magic alive:
Music: Creating a holiday playlist on Spotify and listening to holiday music in coffee shops. Music is easy to take with me everywhere. Keeping the magic alive. My favorite Christmas song is “Good King Wenceslas”:
In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.
The song reminds me that some years we are the King or Queen marking the footsteps for someone in the snow. Some years we are the peasant who needs support. Sharing with each other is the true blessing at Christmas. It isn’t the stack of presents we give or receive, it is the sharing of blessings with a family member, a friend or a stranger. The magic is alive.
Christmas Traditions: My Swedish heritage has always been present at Christmas time. Baking Spritz cookies, banners with God Jul and Swedish ornaments.
My two favorite Swedish symbols:
The final magic is cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning breakfast. My father worked for Pillsbury when I was growing up and the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven, with the magic of the Pillsbury doughboy, always brings me back to childhood. It is also a way to connect with my daughters. Wherever we are, we bake cinnamon rolls and know that we are connected. The magic is alive.
Merry Christmas!
Written by: Andrea Hylen; Heal My Voice