Magic happened regularly around our house when I was a child.

     My family has always celebrated everything. Because our farm was somewhat isolated, the family traditions created by our parents were the mainstay of my childhood. Both my Mom and Dad were very involved parents, and the pleasure we children got from the activities they improvised gave them great satisfaction.

     As in most households, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter were eagerly anticipated festivities, but we had holidays that none of our friends celebrated. One was "Three Wise Kings." My Mom said it was because we were Swiss-Italian and lived in the country so it was easier for the Three Wise Kings to park their camels outside our house. (Three Wise Kings is also known as Twelfth Night, celebrated twelve days after Christmas on January 6. It honors the Magi who followed the Star of Bethlehem, bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Jesus.)

     Because the Three Wise Kings had to travel so far, they could only bring us small gifts to remind us that Jesus was poor  -  usually an orange or tangerine, an apple, sometimes an avocado or mango, plus a small sweet and about twenty five cents in coins. We loved Three Wise Kings Day because it made us feel so special.

     My parents went all out to create the magic. One year, my Mom excused herself during dinner. Suddenly, through the window, we saw a camel. (She had gotten a huge stuffed camel and was outside, moving it up and down.) We shrieked with excitement and awe, knowing the Kings were passing by. The next morning, we awoke to find jewels strung everywhere on the bushes and vines. There were camels' hoof prints and camel dung and a note that this had been a great year for the Magi, so they were sharing their wealth. I remember vividly the sensation of utter delight and can still see the shimmering jewels hanging from the trees. Of course, my parents had orchestrated the magic by buying used costume jewelry for a song from a Goodwill store, bringing down the horses to make the hoof prints, and using horse manure to simulate camel dung. To this day, the nuns who taught us at school recall how wide our eyes were when we retold the tale and how completely we believed.

     Often at Christmas, we wouldn't get something we had especially asked for. Of course, we'd be disappointed. Later on Christmas day, Dad would suggest we take a jeep ride around the ranch to see if anything had fallen off the sleigh. Sure enough! Down at a barn or dangling in a grapevine would be that special gift. One time, a bicycle was sticking out of the chimney with a note attached: "Sorry, it wouldn't squeeze down."

     Every holiday provided more opportunity for my parents to be creative. We saw the Easter Bunny, we felt the tooth fairy's kiss. We witnessed Santa and his elves flying through the sky with Rudolph's red light leading the reindeer. My sister, Deb, was still an avid believer way into her teens. Finally, my parents had to tell her that it was all "magic."

     As we grew and questions arose, their response was, "If you don't believe in magic, magic never happens." I made the decision to believe. To this day, my own children delight at the magic that happens year-round in our household. And yes, the Three Wise Kings still visit, although my kids are only half Swiss-Italian.

     In an un-magical world, you create the magic in your own life. Find ways to reinterpret your daily routine through the eyes of a child. Children give us a second chance to view the world with rose-colored glasses. What magic is hiding in your soul? What simple things can become magical experiences if you use a little imagination?

Exercise: Be Your Own Fairy Godmother

     Imagine that you are a magician with a magic wand. You can even make a wand from a stick. Add a few ribbons or a sparkling star, and presto! You hold the key to power. Wave the magic wand over your head when you want to change something, even your mood. The magic to create the life you want is inside you. Dream it. Do it.

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"If you don't make magic, magic doesn't happen." Cynthia Brian

Excerpted from the award winning book, Be the Star You Are!® 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference. Autographed copies available at 

http://www.starstyleradio.com/store