Holiday Magic

I heard the "swoosh" of a piece of paper as it was pushed under my door. It was a colorful invitation for tenants to meet in the lobby of our building on a particular evening to decorate for the holidays. This was the first time such an event was arranged, and I loved the idea. There were no elaborate instructions or plans other than bring an ornament if we chose to.

We ended up having a core group of 12 tenants and 2 more we invited to join us as they entered the building. Some people brought one or several ornaments, some brought a box full of ornaments and decorations obviously in their keep for years. Several provided goodies such as a delicious homemade triple-decked chocolate cake, cookies, chips, cider, and wine. With music playing, what started out to be decorating a tree expanded into the Super's 11-year old daughter hanging up a beautiful, large 3-D snowflake she'd crafted and creating another as we decorated. One woman brought a few gorgeous quilts her mother had made and they were carefully and artfully placed on walls by two of the men. Two people contributed exquisite wreaths. A young woman formed stars out of glittering wire ties that became tree ornaments as well as hung in the elevator. Rather than one tree, we had a large and smaller one placed next to each other as they might grow in the woods.

True holiday magic happened as everyone continued to have ideas come to them and then make them happen; and with each new innovation, all of us genuinely "oohed" and "ahhed" about the creativity. No one orchestrated the events; we allowed everything to evolve.

The colors and lights and glittery objects were splendid, but I found our willingness to step into the moment even more so. There were no unfamiliar faces there; but with a few exceptions, most of us usually greet each other in passing and that's all. Two of the more shy people in the building joined us. Both had something of a stunned expression on their faces at the beginning, then relaxed into the dynamic. Often, when people appear a little different or are not as outgoing as others, we don't necessarily make an effort in their direction.

Diversity by virtue of country of origin and religious or spiritual beliefs were present and represented; but the human spirit took precedence.

It's easy to get caught up in the daily details of our lives and our prejudices. Sometimes, it takes the magic of a moment for us to not focus on differences, choose not to be isolated, and just be who we are: Members of a human family sharing a precious planet suspended in a remarkable universe.

Happy Holidays to all of you. May you consciously choose to expand more of what you truly desire into your life, including how you experience the remaining weeks of 2007.