The Magic of Christmas

It has been a tough year I could feel the weight that lay upon my shoulder as I just got over the first top of the mountains. I have been out here throughout the summer. Far away from my family and my friends.

Nobody knew where I was heading too when I left last Christmas. I packed everything I have owned in my small apartment in the city. I couldn’t stay in the chaos. My life just went from happy to down right sad.

You all know what it is like when your heart gets crushed and there is just nothing that can fill it up. Well that is when I decided to pack up my life. Like most people would say I packed up my troubles with my sorrows and thought if I leave my life I had back home it may stay there and just my head would come with me, but no no, none of that happened.

When I left my life I had nowhere to go.

No place to stay.

No money. Well that I ran out of.

What a sad story isn’t that in it self.

I should have stayed back home and live my life.

They say the grass isn’t greener on the other side.

But let me tell you this.

I might not have found riches in treasure and money.

But I found something even more important.

Something I never believed could happen to me.

Yes. Something I thought didn’t exist.

I remember being a little boy and waiting for Christmas to come.

Yeah that year I found out that it was all a lie.

Then I start to grow up and wonder through the years every time at Christmas how exited the children would get to see Santa clause. They believed in him. They believed in Christmas.

But not me I felt sad for them that they were just being lied to by the grown ups.

Let me get back to why things changed for me.

How Christmas saved me.

I left home last year around about this time. I was out side in the country I took my old broken down car and pulled it as far as I could just to get out of the city. It was three days that I was driving in my old run down beetle.

As nighttime arrived the car gave up. It broke down right there in the middle of nowhere. I tried to start up the engine, but nothing.

I found myself kicking the old car, saying words that weren’t appropriate, but I had to get it to work. How am I going to get to the next town? The next town is about 60 kilometres.

“Paxton, seems like its you all alone now. Damn car won’t start.” I knew talking to myself wouldn’t change anything.

“I should have taken the train at the last stop. But that wouldn’t have changed my mood either. Because the damn festivities is all over town and people are to happy.” I've become grumpy.

Perhaps I should wait till the morning come and take the road.

Back in the car he tries again to start up the engine.

Nothing. Damnit!

Not long he was back out of the car, standing in the middle of the road looking to the right and the left. Then he looked to the sides.

“The forest. Might be a town or perhaps a nearby house standing abandoned.” This isn’t a movie Pax.

He popped opened the trunk and got his hiking gear out. Everything he needed was in the backpack.

Pax was a sad bloke. He’s heart got annulated and since the woman has left with her new fiancé in tow. To him life was nothing, but torture.

“Stop it.” He hit his fist against his head.

“Sigh.” He stood with his coat pulled up to his neck covering him from the cold. There was a cold front coming on. Is better yet snow? They did talk about snowing heading to the northern hemisphere.

He took the right side towards the forest. And walk down the path that lead somewhere he hoped. As tree branches scratched into his skin when he had missed a step and fell and rolled down. He couldn’t stop.

He knew that this isn’t going to be a good out come. The path was too slippery of rain that was falling and it being foggy.

He came to a complete stop just when he was about to hit another tree.

   He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe what he saw in front of him. There laid a town completely wrapped in white snow. From where he stood it was the most beautiful sight he has ever seen in his entire life.

He tried to regain his balance as he felt blood from his forehead.

“Oh Gosh I am seeing things now.” he said more to himself then to the open sky in front of him.

Right down below was a town decked with a white blanket of snow.

The wooden houses small and petit, some big. There was also a church with a clock and a bell hanging.

The trees had owls in them as they sit on the branches. It was magnificent. It was something you would only see in those Christmas cartoons and tales also the ones you would spot on Christmas cards. It was a winter wonderland and it wasn’t even made by man.

“Is my eyes really seeing this.” He asks himself again.

In the far sides there was houses that were set alight by Christmas lights and out of the chimneys smoke is coming from. This must be a town that exist, but people never knew off.

“Wait I cant just go. This isn’t where I was headed to.” He contemplated with himself.

“But.” Sigh.

He takes the walk down from where he stopped from his fall.

That fall must have really done him good. He thought.

He broke a piece of the trees branches off as he used it as sticks to pull through that thick layer of snow.

As he came down he came to abrupt stop when an old man with long grey hair appeared out of nowhere and stopped him on his journey.

“Hello, Son.” The old man said.

“Yes old man what do you want.” He asked in the most grumpiest voice tone.

The old man didn’t let it faze him.

“Are you lost son.” He asked.

“No, but are you.” Paxton asked right back.

“No, I am on the right path.” The old man says.

The old man went back to sit on the broken down trunk that was laid next to a bag and also a fire start to lit.

“Please join me. You must be thirsty.” The old man said.

Paxton took the plea and sat down on his backpack.

He holds his hand towards the fire as the old man throw some black liquid in a cup, and handed it to him.

“Here this might warm you up a bit.” The old man said.

No argues he takes the cup and shot the man with a nod and takes a sip from the cup. After one sip he smiled at the old man.

“How did you know.” He asks the old man.

“Well let’s just say we have met many years ago.” The old man said.

He looked over the cup at the old man, as he’s an eye squinted and thought to himself. Did I.

“You sure about that.” He asked the old man.

“Yes. You were one of my favourites, but then you have disappeared.” This seems to far fetch to Paxton now. This man he has never seen him in his life. His description doesn’t seem familiar. He has small round glasses on his face. He got brown eyes and has a long white beard. Stomach is big enough for a baby to come out. His clothing also differs he has a black dungaree on. Does that look like a guy I use to know.

“Nope I don’t know you old man. You have mistaken me with someone else.” He said.

“Maybe if I tell you how you might remember.” The old man said.

“Okay I am listening.”

“You were ten years old that was the day you waited up the entire evening. You even had a cup of and some cookies you mother freshly baked that Christmas Eve.

I remember reading your mind then already. But something happened. Instead of Santa clause coming someone else came to leave your gift.”

“What? This is bullshit?” he shouted and jumped to his feet.

“Paxton listen to me.”

“No. Why should I? Its all lies.” He said.

“No its not lies. You want to take a way something as Christmas away from every child in the entire world. The little ones that has so much hope in getting a Christmas gift. Someone who made sure they were good this year. Do you want to hurt your future children? One day you will have a family and you will have to learn to believe in the spirit of Christmas in it all again.” The old man said.

“I wont let them believe in a lie.” He was headstrong. He wouldn’t reason. Pax you did believe once upon a time.

“Paxton you were a happy boy. You grew up with a lot of hate inside of you towards myself in Christmas your parents even in the woman you love.” The old man continues.

“Are…wait…go back to when you said myself. You mean.” He starts to question.

“I am Santa clause. And you see this town behind us this is my home.”

“Come again.” He felt his head as the blood stopped without him noticing. Am I dead?

“No you aren’t dead. This is real. The magic of Christmas.” The old man said.

“Magic.” He said to himself.

“Now believe in it Paxton. Believe in mankind, believe in love, believe that Christmas can heal that broken heart of yours as well. Let the magic live on inside of.” The old man pressed his hand flat over Paxton’s heart. It could have been magic, but he felt something in that time. He felt that what he was doing was wrong. He left his home. He’s family close to Christmas time.

“I have to go back home. I need to tell my parents I love them, that I forgive them. I need to go to her and tell her she’s my soul mate, that I love her. “ He found himself embracing the old man. As he smiled. A genuine smile.

“Paxton just believe son. Just believe and it all will be okay.” That was the last words coming from the old man.

Out of the realm, he felt his heart beating faster. He started to kick and yell, but didn’t know what was going on.

He felt someone pulling him.

“Wait old man.” He shouted.

Still he felt being tugged at.

“Paxton! Paxton!” he hears a faint voice. It was a woman’s a voice. Slowly he opened up his one eye as he peeped through it to see whom it was that is calling him.

When he saw the face, and he saw that it was both eyes opened up.

It was her, his girl friend.

He woke up and pulled her on top of him.

“Andrea I love you. I want to spend every Christmas with you. I’ll do anything just don’t leave me.” He said.

“Baby I cant leaves you. Any ways I have good news for you.” She says.

He looks at her curiously and watched as her hand glide over her flattened stomach.

“Really.” He shouts.

“Yes really.” They both laughed as he let her down beside her in the bed.

“I love you Andrea, marry me.”

“Yes.” That was all she had to say.

Since then Paxton start to believe in magic. The magic of love and the magic of Christmas.

Copyright C Davids 01/12/2011