It seems as we grow older and become more and more "adult" in our lives that the Holiday season for some reason just loses its warmth and magic to us. No longer is it about candy canes and snowmen. No longer is about magical elves that bring us oodles of presents. No longer is it about an onslaught of happilly decorated cookies and candies. No, as we become adults it turns into the hassles of running from house to house to be sure that you spend time with aunts and uncles, moms and dads, inlaws and outlaws and every other aqauintance you've made throughout the year. It becomes a race to find the best deals on the hottest items whilst neck deep in crowds of shoppers also looking for that same exact deal. It has become worrying about how many calories are in that glass of eggnog you just drank and if your lactose intolerance is going to flair up because of that very same glass. Indeed, it seems that the Holiday Season just isn't quite as magical as it used to be....but it can be.

As adults the fantasy and mystery of the ways of the world are revealed to us and often times humble us. We forget about fairies and elves and magical sacks of toys. We think about mortgages, auto insurance, and how much it will cost us to by the gas to power our car over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house this year. Why do we forget such things that brought such wonder and joy into our lives. We've become to busy. To busy indeed, to busy to stop and appreciate the little things like a sparkling snowflake, and knowing that there is no other snowflake in existance that has that exact shape. To busy to stop and wish some random stranger Merry Christmas, or even better hold the door for that stranger as she tries to exit the store with full arms. Alas, as adults, we have become to busy to even care.

There STILL is magic in the holiday season though, if you're willing to seek it out, if your willing to give it out. That magic is in you. It's in me. It's in anybody and everybody who has the ability to give. Give not of the wallet, but of the heart. If you want magic. Make it happen!!! Go volunteer at a homeless shelter, you'd be surprised at what a simple bowl of soup and a warm smile can do for the down trodden. Go caroling at an old folks home, they like to know that they're not forgotten. Donate toys or even deliver them to an orphanage, just because those children don't have families like you or I doesn't mean that Santa should pass them by.

So as you're driving to the local mall, cursing at traffic underneath your breath, cringing at your cell phone ringing for the who knows how many times, sipping your $4 cappa-frate-cino, listening to your iPod and complaining that the city hasn't salted the roads yet, stop. Just stop. Turn it all off. Tune it all out. Listen to the season. Open your heart and let in the warmth you once knew. Catch it, then spread it like wildfire. Share that warmth. Share it with friends. Share it with family. Share it with co-workers. Share it with people you meet on the street. MOST importantly, even if you don't share it with anybody at all, do share it with those less fortunate than you, no amount is too big or too small.