Something I hear over and over again is how as you become older and grow into your adult years, the magic of the holiday season is lost. I think it is quite the opposite. Sure, as we grow older we get to deal with the endless lines in shopping malls, and for some the stress of seeing our family. But the magic is not lost, it simply changes.

I can remember (and I'm sure my mother can too) being six years old and waking up at 4:00 am on Thanksgiving morning to set the table. I was just so excited for the whole family to be coming over I wanted the festivities to start as soon as possible! My mom was a good sport as she always is, and she would let me fold the napkins in a way I thought to be fancy; realistically she was probably just excited I was so passionate about setting the table. I remember Thanksgiving changing for my cousins and I. In our youth, the house was hectic with young children running everywhere, there was no "kids table" because we needed help cutting our Turkey. As we plowed through our pre-teen and teenage years, the conversation grew better. The "kids table" formed and the laugher was heard throughout the house as we told the stories we could never tell our parents. Thanksgiving became a day of playing catch up with family who live within a five minute radius. This year, a whole new Thanksgiving will be had. As half of the "kids table" will be returning home from college, this new feeling is brewing inside of me. The excitement for some homemade, non Sodexo food, and the thought of being in one room with my entire family again makes me feel just like when I was waking up at 4:00 am to set the table.

I think Christmas is often associated with the magic being "lost". As a child, Santa is the magic. Santa coming is something you wait 365 days for non-stop from ages 3-10. You are so excited you can barely sleep and the feeling on Christmas morning when you wake up to a full stocking is just that: magic. What happens when the excitement of Santa dies down? For me, nothing changed. The magic was always still there. I have two parents who have always been extremely hard working, and for me the magic was they could both have an entire day off together! It was magic that I could wake up and climb in between Mom and Dad in bed and say "Merry Christmas!" This feeling of magic lasted until about age 15. At this point, the feeling changed all together. It was no longer the magic of waking up to a full stocking, but the feeling of pure bliss of a season dedicated to giving to others.

The Holiday season is one that is all about coming together, putting differences aside and simply enjoying the company of those you know and love. The magic may change, but surely it is never lost.