I always thought we were one of those Hallmark families\u2014simple, glowing, a little too good to be true. My husband, Hayden, still hides love notes in my coffee mug, and our daughter, Mya, has a way of asking questions that make the world feel brand new. Every December, I try to bottle magic for her\u2014snow globes made of cotton, twinkle lights on every plant, and traditions that make her whisper, \u201cThis is the best Christmas ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
But this year\u2019s \u201cbest Christmas ever\u201d nearly stopped my heart. In the middle of the night, I found Mya\u2019s bed empty\u2014and my car keys gone. Then, on the living room floor, a note: she\u2019d left sandwiches and blankets in the abandoned house across the street so Santa\u2019s reindeer could rest. I ran through the cold, breath catching, until I found her\u2014bundled in scarves, proud and beaming. \u201cHi, Mommy,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI\u2019m waiting for Santa.\u201d<\/p>\n
I carried her home, tucking her back into bed with her socks still on and her cheeks warm from the cold. By morning, a letter from \u201cSanta\u201d waited under the tree, thanking her for the blankets and sandwiches\u2014especially the vegetable ones for Vixen. Mya gasped, overjoyed, and hugged the note like it was treasure. The house filled with laughter, cinnamon rolls, and the kind of wonder you can\u2019t choreograph.<\/p>\n
That morning, I realized I\u2019d spent years trying to create<\/em> magic when I was already living with it. Mya\u2019s kindness\u2014the way she believed in caring for others, even imaginary reindeer\u2014had turned Christmas into something purer than perfect d\u00e9cor or presents. The best kind of magic, I finally understood, isn\u2019t made by parents. It\u2019s born from the hearts of children who still believe love can save the night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I always thought we were one of those Hallmark families\u2014simple, glowing, a little too good to be true. My husband, Hayden, still hides love notes in my… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n