Holiday Magic

It's official. My neighborhood has caught the holiday spirit and there's magic in the air. Outdoor lights are lit and wreaths properly placed. Cars come and go for evening get-togethers. Christmas trees stand prominently in their place of honor and indoor lights twinkle. All is completed in time for Santa's annual visit down Surrey Lane.

BUT this year my timing was off. I forgot when Santa was arriving in the neighborhood so on Sunday night, when I heard loud honks from the local fire trucks, I jumped to my feet. Like little children, my adult dinner guests and family joined me, rushing to the door and shouting with glee. "Santa is here," we kept saying, as we waved to the firemen and Santa himself. 

This event brings back memories of the Sunday night, pre-Christmas visits that Santa and the South Hempstead Fire Department have made to my neighborhood over the years. Even now, without children in the house, when the streets light up with the flash of lights and the honking sounds announcing Santa, holiday magic is in the air. 

For the past years, Mary Lee Hahn has created holiday peace at her site with her #haikuforhealing project. I offer these image poems in celebration of the peaceful spirit that the holidays bring. May this Slice of Life bring you cheer and goodwill this week.