Ever since she was little, from November 29 to December 25, I’ve dedicated myself to this. I give it my all—200%—to create Christmas magic and the memories that come with it. She’ll never have the memories of my Christmases: the large, crowded tables, midnight Mass (at 10 a.m.), endless traditional dishes, snacks scattered all over Grandma’s furniture, a mountain of gifts under the tree thanks to the number of people, an uncle dressed as Santa Claus who makes the adults laugh and traumatizes the kids. No, those traditions are gone. Although it’s still a special holiday, Christmas has certainly changed over time. We have to adapt, as they say—and especially this year!
November 29 is the day we begin our preparations. In fact, we’ve already scoured the nearby wooded trails in search of the most beautiful young pine tree. The biggest one, the least damaged one—the one that, in our eyes, will make the best Christmas tree. Then, when evening comes, we grab our little shovel and head out to the garden to scoop up a bowl of soil, which we bring inside. Now we have the pot we’ll use to plant our tree! Very gently, we set the pine sapling in place and cover its base to help the roots take hold. Next, Mom has to dig out of her big grown-up closet the famous “Magic Powder from the North Pole” (AKA a jar of gold-colored glitter). And then comes the long-awaited moment: sprinkling the pine sapling with this magic powder that will make our tree grow overnight.
Early in the morning—very early, in fact—we rush to the living room to find the tree that has magically grown overnight. But a Christmas tree is way too big to grow in a single night! What do we find there? A tiny, scrawny little tree (AKA a pine branch cut off and stuck in the pot). So we’ll have to wait until evening to sprinkle some more magic dust on this little tree. TA-DA! A magnificent artificial (or real) Christmas tree will have grown by the next morning. All that’s left is for us to decorate it together.
After all, that’s what Christmas magic is all about, isn’t it?