The story of Christmas, the birth of a baby, conceived by God within a young, unmarried girl’s womb is a story of simplicity and magic.
Jesus came to be in the most natural, simple way – a regular birth to young parents who must have been afraid and unsure, simple people just looking for a room for the night who ended up sleeping in a stable. They were just a hard-working, everyday young couple, just starting out in life, doing their best with what they had. Nobody special.
And yet, the story is laced with magic: a miraculous conception; angels appearing throughout the story, ensuring Mary and Joseph that this child was special, appearing to shepherds, singing praises of Hallelujah under a starlit canopy sky. Wise, spiritual leaders travelled from afar with expensive gifts fit for a king, guided by constellations and other portents of magic.
It’s an unbelievable story. Difficult to imagine. But the story of Christmas is our reminder that miracles do happen to the simplest of people. That in the dirt and grit of everyday life, magic exists to illuminate our path and show us the way.
May you find both this Christmas. In the midst of the shopping and baking and rushing about to prepare a celebration, may you find the magical moments: of laughter, of children, of quiet love shared with another. Our simple lives are filled with everyday magic if we just open our hearts and watch for it.