This last Christmas, my son gave me a beautiful card, thanking me for teaching him how to make magic. We are both full-on Christmas people and we both acknowledge the festive season as one that is lush with opportunities for enchantment. Seriously, just watch any Hallmark movie and you’ll know what I am talking about.

But we don’t limit our magic-making to just one occasion. Magic is a welcome (and often surprising) enrichment to any life, any time. But the making of it? Exactly how complicated is the making of magic?

Well … you need three things.

1. Desire
2. Imagination
3. Effort

And #3 is the BIG one. EFFORT. Magic does not happen because some twinkle-fairy diffuses stardust on your head. Magic happens when you get to work. When you get to the industry of doing something out of the ordinary, special and unexpected – SO astonishing to the recipient that the word ‘awe’ just doesn’t cover it.

My first stab at making magic did happen at Christmastime, when my son was about 7. He had two “Puffalump Ponies” – little nylon stuffies that he had possessed since birth, his absolute favourites and both beyond threadbare. I knew one more washing might annihilate them forever and I knew he would be desolate. We couldn’t buy new ones because they had been discontinued. He was determined to have the exact same ponies, just brand new.

What the heck is a mother to do?

My dear boy came up with the solution easily – “I’ll ask Santa.”

Like I said, what the heck is a mother to do?

I asked everybody I knew if they had any idea where a Puffalump could be procured. I offered to buy used ponies. I begged and pleaded. But no one had the correct item on offer and no store large or small could help. I was stymied!

And then someone told me about this newfangled thing called eBay. It was early internet days and not many people were aware of this goldmine. But when I discovered the coveted ponies online I was ecstatic. Price be damned … my little boy would have his Christmas miracle and Santa would remain the magical, mythical man we all know him to be.

I will never forget the look on my baby’s face when he opened that last gift on Christmas morning. The combination of shock and elation and wonderment was a movie-moment to be certain.

Effort had won the day. I certainly had the desire and I utilized my imagination to the fullest but … effort won the day.

Many years later, my grown son wanted to make magic for his girlfriend. A new PlayStation was about to be released – in very limited quantities – and he was desperate to procure one for her. He had all of us (himself, both his parents and our partners) on the phone, waiting in queues, hoping against hope one of us might win the lottery. He also scoured all other options as only a twenty-something can, leaving no stone unturned in his quest to obtain this prize. Obtain he did, after which he planned an elaborate scavenger hunt on Christmas day, leading his beloved to her ultimate prize – the rare and special gift she did not expect to receive. It was a brilliant, magical moment. And it gets even better. Somehow my son had (magically?) scored TWO of these much-in-demand devices. So, after the scavenger hunt and the ensuing shrieks and hugs and tears and laughter, he handed a card to his father. His dad had just endured a very tough year, losing both of his parents and too many friends. My boy knew his father was much in need of some magic. He also knew his father liked to play video games. In this card there was an original poem instructing his dad to go look in the back of his truck. And there it was – the second magical machine!

It was a double-magic moment. And … it all happened during the first Christmas of Covid, when many people had abandoned all hope of anything resembling magic. Which is kind of weird when you think about it, because that was a time when we were all so desperately in NEED of magic.

I learned from my parents who threw me a surprise birthday party when I turned 15. It was pretty darn magical for me. I in turn have thrown my beloved TWO surprise parties and both were amazing. A ton of work and a ton of stress, yes. But amazing when they both came together beautifully and brought him such joy.

He made magic for me one birthday when I awoke to find a fully assembled (he had to do it himself on the sly) bright pink bicycle (complete with wicker basket) IN our kitchen! I lost my mind.

I am not suggesting that making magic is all about gift-giving. I do believe though, that people who don’t look at gift-giving as an opportunity to make magic are quite possibly missing one of life’s great opportunities. Effort is the key. I know it’s so much easier to offer cash or gift cards or a bottle of wine. But just think what magic could be made with a little imagination and effort? Life is full of routine, the ordinary and the mundane. Why not jazz it up with the unpredictable, the electrifying and the thoughtful?

Thoughtful. Full of thought. Desire. Imagination. Effort.

For my birthday last year my beloved conspired with one of my best friends to have her surprise me on my special day. Since she lives four hours away, this was a BIG shock and a most welcome one. Magic.

Last Mother’s Day I knew my son was driving north to visit me. And that was all the gift I wanted. Little did I know he would also be bringing one of his friends (my #2 son) and that friend’s dog. Magic again.

My son is now an accomplished singer-songwriter who has recorded much of his recent music at my rustic home (great acoustics) at the lake. We leave, he and his producer move in and musical magic is made (check out Sam Drysdale to find out!). The last time he was here I asked him via text to learn an old song I wanted to hear him sing. I figured it would be an easy task – his producer could play my piano, he could sing, they could record and voila – mama is happy.

Didn’t happen.

When he was rehearsing with his band for his next gig I reiterated my request.

It didn’t happen again.

Has my boy lost his magical abilities?

I don’t think so.

I think he is just busy with his life and other priorities.

It’s a great excuse for all of us, isn’t it? I am busy. I am tired. I have no ideas. I suck at this. I don’t have time. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to make magic.

Yes you do.

Desire. Imagination. Effort.

It truly is in all of us. And I can tell you from experience, it is SO worth it.

So go … make some magic. Mother’s Day is coming. But really, any old day will do. As a matter of fact, any old day is the perfect day to make any old day an extrordinary day. All it takes is … magic.