One of my favorite stories is The Polar Express. I remember my mother reading the book to me when I was a child, with the bell in hand. And, yes, the bell rang. :)
To this day - and let me tell you, I am not one of those women who cry; you would have to seriously hurt me to make me cry, and I still might not - but to this day, as I was saying, this story, whether it's the book or the movie, brings a tear or two or three to my eye and makes my voice crack. As a matter of fact, my children have been a bit alarmed at the end of the movie..."Mom? Are you....crying? Why are you crying?" (And, yes, we watch it several times each year.)
One day, they will know the real reason that it brings a tear to my eye.
It's the magic. Or the idea of losing the magic, maybe.
To this day, that bell still rings for me. And, it always will. And, I wonder...hope...dream...
To teach my children how to make that bell ring for the rest of their lives. My oldest two are going to turn 12 and 11 this year. Last year, there were questions and suspicions, but that magic was still alive. I'm just not sure if it will make it past this year, but that will be when I have to sit down with them and tell them all about the REAL magic of Christmas...and make sure that the bell rings forever in their lives.
With all of this said, I have found a great site for you and your kids! The Christmas countdown and holiday cards! It's The North Pole! Email Santa, check out Christmas songs, play Name That Tune (I used to love that show!).
There's bunches and bunches of fun at TheNorthPole.com!
Also, head over to make your holiday photo cards, because Christmas is never really Christmas without a photo to preserve the memory and share it with those you hold dear.
So, make that bell ring this season with your kids! Get involved...and listen to the magic of Christmas...the giggles, the singing...that magic that brings tears to my eyes.
By the way, do you still hear the bell?
