Magic of the Season

It’s early on a Sunday morning and I am sitting at my desk, in my study, looking out the window on one of the last remaining days of fall, four days before the first day of winter. As the wind blows across the lake and buffets our quiet house, my boyfriend lies asleep in bed. There is a slight chill in the air that promises winter will be here soon. It is a morning and a time of year of reflection and being thankful for all that you have. And this morning, I sit here thinking of all the things that I am truly happy for, this year. 

Christmas is also a week away and that adds its unique magic to it. This is the time of year when you spend time with loved ones. Whether that is family made by blood or by the ties that bind us. It’s a season of getting in touch with the foundations of the human community and celebrating the hope for tomorrow. A time when strangers are no longer strangers and you may find yourself opening up to people you never expected to share a commonality with, this is truly magical. 

A chance meeting

Karl and I have had a standing tradition for the last three years. We try to take in a few holiday shows at Playhouse Square and two that we have grown to love are Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Each of those stories spark feelings in me and have been one of the few things I have always carried as the magic of Christmas. (Even though I haven’t liked Christmas for a large chunk of my life, until more recently.) 

Last night, we got ready for our night out. We usually do Dinner at Republic, which is on the same block as most of the theaters. It’s a nice little spot for a bite that is close enough for people to make their respective shows. Per our usual fashion, we opt for a seat at the bar. This is preferred as it is usually quicker service and allows for a much quicker exit to get to our show. But, this night would be different. 

We sat down and placed our order. It was crowded with people going to various shows. At one point, a large group comes in and decides to push into the bar area. This forces most of us to have to jostle around for room. As a result, the person that had been sitting a seat away from us became our new neighbor for the night. We made our pleasantries about being moved around and bumping into one another. This, in turn led to introductions and what we, all, had planned for the night. Over the course of the exchange, we shared our backstories that brought each of us to Cleveland and found we all were transplants. This led us to expressing  the multitude of things that we love about Cleveland, talking about our families (blood and chosen), and the theater. It was a time where conversation flowed freely and vulnerabilities were put aside. It was an evening of meeting someone, sharing your heart, and becoming friends. 

It was a night that illustrated how magical this time of year can be and how amazing out little city of Cleveland really is.

Christmas in Cleveland

It is hard to remember the exact point where I stopped loving Christmas. In fact, I don’t think it was one single event, as much as a multitude of smaller things that just ate away at the child wonder I once carried for it. I do remember that it started to gain momentum the year after our house burned. Our father seemed to become more bitter about the holiday. It was a battle to decide on a date to put up a Christmas tree. My mother, sister, and I would wait till he left for work to plug in the lights and scurry to turn them off before he returned home. All of the childhood magic of the season was ripped away from us, each and every year after. Add to that years of retail jobs and  by the time I became an adult, I was also becoming bitter about the holiday. 

​​It would seem ironic, then, that I woiuld fall for a person who was in love with all things Christmas.  Nonetheless, here I was smitten to a man who knows more about Santa Claus than Google knows about us. Unbeknownst to me, this would be a catalyst to start breaking down those frozen walls of holiday cheer.  The first crack in my wall happened when he took me on a surprise trip to Burton, Ohio. It was on a country road that we stopped at a small mom and pop business that offered sleigh rides, when it snowed.  Climbing into that sleigh caused an avalanche of memories from my childhood. Off we went in a one horse open sleigh. (Cue the song, please) it was that little song from 1857 that filled my head and started to thaw my heart. Karl had won a point in Christmas’ favor. 

Karl wasn’t the only one in the battle to break my holiday blues, Cleveland played its own part. Everyone says that their hometown is amazing at Christmas, that is, indeed, true of Cleveland. Her beauty, during Christmas, chips away at me every year. Form the lighting of the tree in Public Square, Mr Jingeling, the Christmas tree parade at Playhouse Square, all the way down to the little pockets of neighborhoods exploding in Christmas lights and cheer. Each one took a part of that cold and bitter part of me and replaced it with something of the wonder I once held.

Through the eyes of a child

The innocence of childhood is wasted on children. That sounds harsh, but bear with me. A child doesn’t see a stranger, only a friend they have not met. They see Christmas for the magic of it all. They cannot imagine a world where there is a man who delivers toys to kids all across the world in a single night. They find goodness and joy in the smallest of things and their pain and worries are washed away with the soft touch of a mother’s hand or a soft stuffed toy. By the time adulthood takes us, we have grown to be cynical and mistrusting. All the wonderment is drained from us in the soul crushing world we let invade us. But not everyone.

As a spiritual person, I still see magic in the wild places of the world. Only, my history took away how I could see magic in Christmas. I weigh decisions based on research, data, and too many choices. So, my world is in battle with beliefs versus day to day mediocrity. It used to surprise me that Karl still saw the magic of this time of year through the eyes of a child. This, above all others, is what has been the very thing to spark belief in me, again. His “choice” to see the joy and spirit of this season doesnt root him in the darkness we all see daily. He rises above it and embraces it as if it is as tangible as I am. That has an effect on me. 

Each and every year, of the almost five years we have been together, has been a festival for the senses. When we first started dating, I had to get used to two Christmas trees. This year we put up a third, dedicated solely to Krampus. We have gone from a few interior decorations to lighting up the front yard in Christmas cheer. This year, we decided to bake treats for many of our friend’s gifts. Most importantly, I get to witness his excitement grow everyday as Christmas approaches. 

What I have learned is that the magic I choose to see in the world is no less than the magic he sees for this holiday. It is the same spirit, only it chooses to garb itself in reds and green with songs that talk of hope and magic. At its core, it is all the same and it took me some time to realize this.

A change in perspective

There is a tangible magic, this time of year. Each year, I see it more and more. I am truly thankful that I have someone in my life who has helped reintroduce me to a magic I left behind like a forgotten toy. It was a rescue for me and it had far more reaching effects than even I realized it would. I have learned hope, forgiveness, and the ability to celebrate life in ways I had forgotten and thought would never be mine again. It all came from a place that I never expected and people I never imagined would be proud to walk my life with me. I feel like Scrooge waking up Christmas morning only to discover that I have not missed anything or the overwhelming love that George Bailey felt when he witnessed the impact he had on those around him. I now know that even the smallest thing in one person can have a monumental effect on another. For this realization, I am thankful for the Magic of the Season. 

What about you? How have you seen the magic of this season or of a person? Has some chance encounter made you realize what you should be thankful for? Maybe this time of year isn’t your thing, what brought you here? Let me know in the comments below. After all, whether you like Christmas or not, it is a time for sharing. Sharing of life and stories, of feelings and magic, and the connections we all have with each other. Have a Happy Holiday.