As I walked around the apartment late this afternoon, tidying up a bit before Charlie’s daughter arrived for dinner and an over-nighter (it’s Charlie’s birthday!), the feeble light of the fading day encouraged the decorations and lights to stand out just a little bit brighter. Or perhaps, now that the big rush of Christmas and Boxing Days is over, I just took the time to notice.
I’ve spent the past ten years in this apartment, and if I live another ten years in this same place, it will never really feel like home. I’ve moaned about this amply in previous posts, so I won’t go into again. In previous years, nothing I ever did in the way of decorating seemed to make the place more festive.
However, today, with everything cleaned and neatly decorated, the place looked almost enchanted. I decided that, perhaps, this is the magic of Christmas — the transition of ordinary to extraordinary, if only for a short time. The reflection of tree lights and ornaments transforms beige walls into something quite beautifully abstract. Candles, which most times sit unlit, bathe the rooms in a buttery glow. Scents are more sweetly pungent. Christmas carols wrap around us like warm, familiar blankets of Christmases past.
Of this I am sure — once it’s here, I don’t want it to leave. More smiling faces, more stopping to say hello. More visits with family, more giving, more friendly waves and nods of heads. More conversation, less complaining.
The magic of Christmas, indeed.
Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given–when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.”
– Joan Winmill Brown
nancybond.wordpress.com 
Very thoughtful and reflective. I have know places I lived while Mr D was in the Air Force that never felt like home. The home I live in now has always felt like it has life so I think it is when you connect with roots and those things you cherish from years gone by. It won’t be long now will it? Post some pictures of the home that is to be yours? It still is isn’t it?
That whole business is such a mess, Anna. ::shaking head:: Something will soon have to be done with it as it requires a fair bit of work if it is to be kept in livable condition. As well, a squirrel has found the heated interior to be the perfect place to spend the winter, so we’re dealing with that right now, the crafty beggar! I think a decision on just what to do will be made this spring. Of course, I said that LAST spring………… And to be honest, there are days when I’d just as soon set down roots somewhere else. It’s all become a bit depressing, if you know what I mean. I will post a pic, though. In fact, I think I have a lovely winter one somewhere.
Nancy, Beautifully said~~I love the transition from the ordinary to the extraordinary! A very fine post and the photograph is lovely. gail
Ok, I hope for you it will be soon as I know it is a perfectly beautiful place. I do so love the home you first owned. I don’t remember, do your parents still live on the land not far from that first home? Is that where you went for Christmas with your daughter? You are so truly blessed in that beautiful country up there.
A squirrel has made its home inside? Oh mercy. That won’t do!
Christmas is the perfect “excuse” for extra visiting, cookie baking, sharing, creating, hugs, etc. Somehow it needs to be more than just a time of year… How are Charlie’s father and your grandson?
Beautifully expressed, Nancy. That is indeed the magic of Christmas. Wishing you a happy new year too.
Well said. You know, it seems that it’s only when we take a minute to relax and breathe that things become truly enjoyable. I guess that’s something I should take note of and try to remember too!
Hi Nancy, wonderful words as always from you Nancy and this picture is a true piece of art, very decorative, almost like a Christmas card. LOLove Tyra
Such a beautiful post, Nancy! I’m am in total agreement with you–something about Christmas does transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. If we could only keep this Christmas spirit all year long.
That is a gorgeous, gorgeous photo Nancy. You truly have a gift. I hope you can find that place that feels like “home” very soon Nancy. It’s hard to stay somewhere that doesn’t have that feel. Meanwhile maybe this feeling will carry you into the New Year and linger…
I feel as if I have just eaten a thick slice of pumpkin pie for breakfast. Rich and tasty . . . and unexpected. A beautiful image, seen through eyes attuned. May the new year hold bounties unimagined, and may you be given many more glimpses for your willingness to share them with the rest of us.
Happy New Year, Nancy!
That is such a beautiful effect on the wall: enchantment of light and color.
Ah, ’tis a gift to see beauty in the ordinary. However, your photo and description that surrounds it are anything but ordinary. May you continue to enjoy the peace of the season and delight in the shimmering, butterly reflections upon your wall that look remarkably like stained glass. Rejoice!
Definitely magic! I imagine a good splash of love is mixed in with that magic.
What a wonderful photo, and one that truly reflects the spirit of joy and celebration that is Christmas!
Wherever we are, hopefully with loved ones, whether it’s at home, or in a very unfamiliar place, noticing something magical in the surroundings can uplift the experience of Christmas to something extraordinary.
Thanks for a lovely post!
I understand what you mean about the transition of ordinary to extraordinary. And that was a lovely photo to go along with your post.