Keeping Magic Alive After December
Here’s how I'm using my hand, head, and heart this month to tap into the extraordinary in everyday life and the wonder, creativity, connection, resilience, love, and joy that comes with it.
“Yet my heart loves December’s smile as much as July’s golden beam; then let us sit and watch the while the blue ice curdling on the stream.”
-”How Still, How Happy!” by Emily Brontë
December is the month when the opportunity and support to believe in magic is present—not the magic of witches, wizards, grimoires, and covens, but the magic of flying reindeer, talking snow people, flying sleighs, enchanted hats, magical snowfalls, talking animals, talking objects, North Pole mysticism, and magical guidance, portals, visitors, and spirits. All leading to wonder, belief, energy, celebration, and joy.
What do we mean when we say something is “magical?” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest known use of magic as an adjective and noun is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
The OED defines magical as “Resembling magic in action or effect; enchanting.” Well, that’s a start. So, what is “magic?” There are two definitions of magic that I find interesting:
1390 - “Working or produced by enchantment.”
The words that pop out at me in these definitions are: enchanting, surprising, remarkable, delightful, change. There’s a sense of effortlessness in outcome, something that happens without our direction and, yet, creates something beyond expectations.
There are major cultural and religious holidays around the world throughout December that provide this opportunity to wonder, to be enchanted, to be surprised, to acknowledge miracles. Take Christmas, for example.
The magic of Christmas is a socially acceptable, temporary space to suspend disbelief without fear of judgment, to embrace child-like wonder, to be enchanted, surprised, delighted. And, to participate in rituals of joy and hope. Sociologist Émile Durkheim suggests that communal rituals (like Christmas celebrations) create a shared emotional energy that can make extraordinary beliefs feel more possible (Durkheim, É. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York: Free Press, 1995.) During Christmas, the collective joy and shared traditions heighten the sense of magic.
Magic is welcomed in December. Yet, there seems to be a broader reluctance to engage with magic during the rest of the year. Except, when it comes to young kids. As parents and teachers we foster children’s early belief in something other worldly and support them in developing their own imagination. Their daily interactions with life and the mysteries of life provide them with the basis and the context to grow and learn and be autonomous.
Magical Thinking in Childhood
Magical thinking is something that is acceptable in early childhood. Little kids freely display their willingness to believe that thoughts, wishes, or disconnected actions can influence events. (see OED for a definition of magical thinking). When our kids were younger they believed they could summon what they wanted. If they wanted their grandmother to come over, and she appeared at the front door, they said they summoned her. (May be they did. Modern psychology suggests that believing you can do something and focusing your thoughts and energy in that direction can make it a reality. Or, may be it was just a coincidence.)
Jean Piaget and Rudolph Steiner came to educational theory from different places — one a psychologist (Piaget) and one a philosopher (Steiner). Piaget focused on the development of cognition and Steiner focused on the development of the whole person. They don’t agree on all aspects of cognitive development and educational theory; and, yet, they both explain that this time of magical thinking is a critical component in the cognitive development of children.
Piaget (1896-1980) explained that all individuals proceed through similar stages of cognitive development as they age. He saw the stages like a ladder, one stage preceded the next stage until the person arrives at concrete, logical, higher order thought. He said that symbolic thought develops first. In infancy, children are focused on acquiring knowledge through their senses and physical interactions with their world. This is a primarily intuitive time and is the time of the greatest magical thinking in childhood. Concrete and logical thinking begins to develop around age 7 or 8, and in adolescence higher order thinking that involves deduction and inferences develops.
Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925), the philosopher who created Waldorf Schools, concurred that young children’s cognitive development was linked to fantasy and imagination. This is why the early years in Waldorf Schools focus so deeply on fairy tales, songs, symbols, pictures, make believe, imagination, art making, puppet shows, festival celebrations, baking, movement. All things that engage children’s curiosity and wonder about the world.
Both Piaget and Steiner explain that children outgrow this stage as they move towards concrete, logical thinking.
I remember seeing the shift happen as higher order thinking developed. I was in grade 6 (age 11) and there was so much pressure to not believe in Santa Claus. It was like the kids who didn’t believe in Santa Claus were in a secret club and if you did still believe, well, you were teased and tormented. I remember watching the faces of the believers as the bullies crushed their hearts and imaginations by announcing there was no Santa Claus. Little did the bullies realize that Santa Claus is so much more than an individual, and so Santa is not easily squashed. Santa Claus is the spirit of wonder, generosity, and compassion.
As young parents, there were two things we wanted for our kids: (1) to ensure they had a deep connection with the world outside of our home and all of the forms it comes in; and, (2) to help them hold on to the every day magic as long as possible. Providing an opportunity for them to explore, question, and engage intuitively helped them become independent and adaptive thinkers and creators who frame the meaning of their lives.
We presented stories of talking animals, books, and candlesticks. We presented holidays and traditions that engaged their curiosity and imagination. We provided a safe space for our children to create a world that was an alternative to the world they lived in. Toys were made from natural materials and were simple and open-ended to encourage adaptable play and thinking. They pretended to be scientists, conductors, veterinarians, doctors. The backyard was a place of fantastical adventures - different parts of the world, different planets, time travel, even magical powers.
A 2010 study, concluded that magical thinking is indeed linked to creative thinking and imagination, and that books and practices that provide opportunities to engage with magical thinking may serve to expand creativity and imagination (Subbotsky, E., Hysted, C., & Jones, N. (2010). Watching Films with Magical Content Facilitates Creativity in Children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 111(1), 261-277.)
So, why is there so much resistance to magic and wonder beyond these early years and beyond December?
Magic As Contrary to Modern Life
May be the origin of the reluctance to engage with magic during the rest of the year and as one ages is not simply explained by cognitive development, but rather by our modern way of life. What if our desire to know and understand more about the world around us has led our big brains to disconnect us from the divine and the magical that is all around us, every day?
Magic is enchantment, fueled by heart and by belief, without evidence, without proof. But, that contradicts the goal-oriented, data driven, serious mindset that is so prevalent today. The fast pace of modern life leaves little space for magic and magical thinking. There’s comfort in the clarity of science, evidence, and rational explanations. And so, magic is relegated to December, and otherwise ridiculed, seen as naive, even childish.
Have you noticed all of the holiday movies that are streaming right now? Have you picked up on the theme of the person from the USA who travels to another country (let’s say, Scotland, Austria, England, France, Switzerland, Italy) for Christmas and discovers the magic of the place and decides to stay? There’s a reason for that theme in all those movies - the idea of rediscovering joy, embracing traditions, meaningful connections, and a simpler, more intentional way of living is so contrary to the current mindset of go-go-go.
Maybe December is here to remind us that our ancestors were far more connected to the cycles of the Earth—the cycles of dark and light, cold and warmth—and to Earth-based traditions and practices than we are now. Maybe December is here to remind us that rediscovering joy and enchantment, embracing traditions, fostering meaningful connections, and living a simpler, more intentional life is our birthright from our ancestors. Maybe December is here to remind us that magic — enchanting, surprising, remarkable, delightful, change — is possible every day of the year.
I remember going a whole day and never being outside except to go to and from a car. I was so shaken by this realization that I started turning things in a different direction, and it has made all the difference. What if we all remember a life connected to the cycles of Earth, with Earth-based traditions and practices, that bring enchantment, surprise, delight, even a sense of effortlessness in outcome, something that happens without our direction and, yet, creates something beyond expectations?
What magic may arise?
Homemade Blueberry Muffins Are Magical
Consider homemade blueberry muffins as an example.
Intellectually, we know that the process of baking a muffin involves hydration, emulsification, leavening gas production, thermal expansion, and solidification. It involves the mixing of dry ingredients and wet ingredients. There are all sorts of chemical processes:
When the wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients gluten forms.
Baking powder contains an acid and a base. When hydrated and heated, they react and release carbon dioxide gas: NaHCO3+H+→CO2+H2O. This carbon dioxide forms the bubbles in the batter and is critical to the muffin rising and being fluffy.
If eggs are used, the egg proteins and the gluten proteins solidify, creating the structure of the muffin.
Starches in the flour absorb water, swells, and gelatinizes, which creates the texture.
The sugars caramelize, creating browning and flavor.
The heat also causes anthocyanins (natural pigments) in the blueberries to react with the muffin's pH, and influence the color. If the batter is acidic, the blueberries appear brighter; if the batter is alkaline, the blueberries appear greenish.
I loved to make muffins with our kids when they were little. We focused on stirring, watching the bubbles, getting the amount in the muffin tin just right, and watching them rise in the hot oven. It was a bit like Shakespeare’s witches - Double, double, toil, and trouble, Fire burn, and cauldron bubble (Macbeth: IV.i 10-19; 35-38).
When the blueberry muffins came out of the oven and cooled enough to eat, there was so much excitement and joyfulness in that moment. I loved watching them take that first bite.
When they did, they were not thinking about how as the muffin touched their tongue, the mechanoreceptors and thermoreceptors in their mouth noticed the texture, temperature, and feel of the muffin. Or, how their taste buds were activating. Or, how the signals from their taste buds and olfactory receptors combined in the the brain's orbitofrontal cortex to fully perceive the flavor.
That first bite was enchanting, surprising, remarkable, and delightful. They were thinking about how good and warm the muffin was and how good they felt eating it. If they were thinking at all about the process, it was simply about how amazing it is that the bowl of goop they mixed together created something so yummy and beyond expectations.
Blueberry muffins were simply a sensory-rich experience for them, bringing together textures, smells and tastes. As they got older, they put the chemistry to the process of homemade blueberry muffin making but that knowledge was built upon the wonder of their experience making and eating them. Their sense of wonder and curiosity was engaged. They carry that sense of wonder with them. The memory and emotions of homemade blueberry muffins influence all blueberry muffins to come.
Homemade blueberry muffins are magical. It’s not about knowing the chemical reactions in the muffins or how the taste buds send signals to the gustatory cortex or orbitofrontal cortex integrating flavors. In that first bite, it’s about so much more. It’s about comfort, sweetness, surprise, love, and pleasure - all in one delicious, magical treat.
Ask any little kid who has received a homemade blueberry muffin in their lunch box. They know its magical.
Magic: The extraordinary in everyday life
The freedom to believe in magic fosters optimism, possibility, and the extraordinary. It inspires creativity, wonder, new ideas, and strengthens connection, community, warmth. It builds resilience, transformation, overcoming the impossible, and renews our sense of play and joy.
As I move towards the new year, I will be carrying with me the magic of December. The magic of believing that if we just, “Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking cross the floor. Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking out the door” (Santa Claus is Coming to Town, 1970). The magic of believing in peace on Earth and goodwill to all. The magic of wonder, creativity, connection, resilience, love, and joy. Far from being supernatural, it’s deeply natural. It’s finding the extraordinary in everyday life.
The magic of a homemade blueberry muffin.
The magic of the first snow fall of the winter.
The magic of the sunrise over the ocean.
The magic of the geese returning in early spring.
By finding the extraordinary in everyday life, magic will not only live beyond the holiday season, it will thrive. Is it possible to sustain magic throughout the year? I think so, and here is how I’m gonna do it starting right now in December!
Here’s how I'm using my hand, head, and heart this month
Here’s how I'm using my hand, head, and heart this month to tap into the extraordinary in everyday life and the wonder, creativity, connection, resilience, love, and joy that comes with it.
Hand: Advent
The word “Advent” comes from the Latin, “to come.” It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. It has been observed since the fifth century, and really it has it all: hope, longing, watchfulness, fear, comfort, preparation, restoration, death, birth, endings, and beginnings. It’s a time filled with signs and symbols. At its core, Advent is an opportunity to change one's thinking, to let go of that which binds us, to be transformed, to be alchemized, to let the darkness give way to light.
Advent reminds our family to slow down and be intentional about the things we choose to do that fill our lives with the spirit of the season. We don't try to fill our days with obligation and busy-ness. We focus on what is meaningful for us and what brings hope, joy, peace, and love to our family and others. We focus on savoring each moment and day. On filling ourselves with the light and love of the season, and turning that love and light back out into the universe for others.
We break December down into its four different weeks and focus on different things each week. Since this is the first week in December, we deep clean the house and then begin decorating. Lots of hand-made decorations.
Hanging wreaths on the windows
Hanging garlands, inside and on the outside of the house
Pomanders
Paper snowflakes and window stars
Advent Wreath - made of evergreens from our garden
Front Door Wreath - evergreens (symbol of undying life), holly (symbol of life, protection, bringing fortune and fertility), ivy (symbol of life, good luck), and rosemary (remembrance) from the garden, and pine cones collected on family trips.
Head: Winter Stories
The Legend of the Christmas Rose, the Legend of the Poinsettia, the Santa Lucia story, Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, the story of Grýla and her sons, stories of Gwiôzdór and Gwiazdka, the Tomten, and of course, the St. Nicholas stories are all read together throughout this month. All of these stories give us the opportunity to be transported to another time and place. It’s not simply the reading of the stories that matters; its taking the time to sit down together, listen to the stories, and then talk with each other.
I’m diving into this little and powerful book: The Little Book of the Hidden People: Twenty Stories of Elves from Icelandic Folklore by Alda Sigmunsdóttir. This little book is so special. It takes 20 stories about elves from Icelandic folklore and then explains the stories with an eye to the history and culture of Iceland. I am coming away with a deeper understanding of the link between place and story in Iceland, and the connection to the every day endeavor to carve out a life on what must have sometimes felt like the edge of the world.
Heart: Winter Solstice, December 21st
This time of the year, I find myself wondering about my ancient ancestors and how they felt each time they viewed astronomical events in the sky. How did they experience a comet, full moon, eclipse, parhelia (sun dogs), or even a void new moon? What about the solstices? Did they look at it with a sense of wonder and enchantment or was there sadness, fear, even depression?
The winter solstice, when daylight is shortest and night is longest, must have been greeted with mixed emotions for my agrarian ancestors. All that darkness and cold, juxtaposed with the belief in the endurance of the natural cycles and natural order. An understanding, too, that after the solstice, days would become increasingly longer and warmer. A celebration of what was to come rather than what was at the moment.
Water, fire, and nature are the things that connect me to energy, awareness, the web of life, and intuition. That's part of why I love this season. Waiting and preparation tied to rituals of water, fire, and nature, and infused in our family holidays and traditions. Talk about magical!
The Solstice is exact where I am at 4:20 am on December 21st. The sun will rise at 7:22 am and set at 4:46 pm. That’s 9 hours and 24 minutes of sunlight as opposed to mid-summer when we have almost 15 hours of sunlight.
Solstice touches me deeply - its a time of rest, reflection, reconnecting, relearning, and renewal with our deep inner self and our place in the web of life. For our kids, it’s a time of awareness of the rhythms of the natural world and how we are a part of all of that wonderful magic.
The day will be filled with water, fire, and nature. First, yoga and a long walk to ground me for the day. Then we’ll decorate our favorite outside tree with edible treats for our more than human (wild animal) friends. We will read solstice stories and make Solstice bread or Yule bread to enjoy by the fire.
We’ll make fire bundles with dried rosemary, dried orange peel, and cinnamon sticks for our fires throughout the winter. Warm, comforting foods are prepared for dinner. If all goes as planned, my evening will culminate with a Solstice tea and a long Solstice Milk and Herb Bath.
Darkness and light are both so important to the natural rhythm of our lives and the universe so we celebrate both this evening. As we journey deeper into the long, cold winter months ahead it is so reassuring to remember that after the dark there is always light. This is a time to appreciate the opportunity the Solstice brings to leave things behind, be peaceful, invite in the light, and grow something beautiful on the other side of the darkness.
The day after the Solstice is the fourth Sunday in Advent. For us that means its time to hang the Christmas stockings, enjoy some Christmas sweets, and deepen into the magic and wonder of the week ahead.
This month my hand, head, and heart practices provide an opportunity for me to tap into the extraordinary in everyday life and the wonder, creativity, connection, resilience, love, and joy that comes with it. There are so many opportunities! And, its great practice for looking for the extraordinary in each day in 2025.
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Hi Karen, loved reading about wonder, curiosity, and joy! Thanks for sharing - also the chemical elements in cooking and eating, very joyful read.