In the Air There's A Feeling...

Magic lived for me on Christmas.

In all places, whereever we lived, the magic followed us. Anticipation of the day seemed sometimes almost too much to bear, but the things that Santa delivered inevitably were beyond what even my imagination could conjure in the preceding nights. Santa always left a large and fascinating gift unwrapped under the tree so that I had something to play with in the early-morning darkness, lit only with strings of multi-colored, twinkling lights.

Darkness at Christmas was warm, safe, and enveloping; the magic was strongest before dawn and waned gradually through the morning as daylight strengthened and gifts were unwrapped. Opening gifts always revealed more than I had hoped for; somehow Santa not only knew the one thing that I really wanted, but also pulled goodies from his sleigh that touched all the corners of my heart.