Believe

“That's the thing with magic. You've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you.”

Charles de Lint

There is something very special about this time of year when you are around children. It is their belief in something magical. Whether it's angels telling shepherds that a King has been born in a stable or that an old man with a white beard will fly to your house in a sleigh drawn by reindeer and bring you a sack full of presents. There's not much beats the wonder as their faces light up in excitement.

Since my husband and I separated and divorced we have two Christmas visits from the man with the white beard. His first trip was here on Sunday. Aside from the mountain of brightly wrapped gifts we knew he'd been by the other clues he left behind - the handwritten thank you note for the mince pies, the crumbs on the plate, the nibbled carrots and most impressive of all, the magic sparkling glitter dropped by the reindeers in the snow where they had landed outside. If you look carefully you can still see some glistening on the path.

Yesterday we were lucky enough to receive another magical nocturnal visitor. The tooth fairy herself stopped by to make an important collection. My son's first tooth to wobble and fall. The tiny jewel came out in a piece of cheesecake but he made sure he licked all the sweet stickiness off before placing the fairy treasure in a special little box (made for the occasion by yours truly) and stowing it next to his pillow.

Morning came and with it indignation. "She's not been!" he wailed in disappointment while I struggled to regain consciousness at an unseemly hour. Of course she had been, he just wasn't looking carefully enough. You see she originally put the coin under the pillow, but came back later to check it was still there. She'd forgotten that small boys are equally as active in slumber as waking hours. The coin had been shoved down the bed. She thought it best to leave it on the wooden edging for safety and there it remained until he looked a little more closely (and with the light on this time).

My message to you is that belief, magic and miracles are not just the stuff of children's fairy tales or old books. Heed the wise words above and let a little something special guide you through life and be in your thoughts this Christmas.

Inspired by the Inspiration Avenue art challenge - Believe. Mixed media: yellows, greens and reds were painted in acrylic to form the background. An image transfer of a model in a posh dress makes the body of the angel, I painted in the wings then decided she needed a more dramatic background - a starry sky. I forced myself to find the time for the challenge this week, mainly because of the topic - how perfect for Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends. Health and happiness to you all.