Christmas Portal
The other day, I had the pleasure of visiting the Enchanted Village at Jordan’s Furniture. It was the first time I’d seen it since the early 1960’s. I vividly remember my mom’s good friend Gail driving us into Boston to the Jordan Marsh store at Downtown Crossing when I was just 5 or 6 years old. That visit stands out as the first time I sat on Santa Claus’s lap at Christmastime. I have no idea what I said to him, but I do remember being so small that the chain ropes guiding the line toward Santa towered over me.
The Enchanted Village, even now, feels almost identical to what I recall from that magical day.
Stepping into the exhibit was like walking through a portal to my childhood—a vivid reminder of what Christmas used to be. The image above captures one of the diorama-like scenes that greeted visitors, each brimming with charm and nostalgia.
Once inside, time seemed to stand still. The village carried me back to the simpler, enchanting spirit of the season I felt as a boy. Santa’s presence and the life-like displays filled me with awe, and for a moment, I was that little boy again, captivated by the magic all around me.
“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find the simplest things—not the great occasions—give off the greatest glow of happiness.”
Bob Hope
Walking through the village, I felt I was inside a giant Christmas snow globe. The air seemed to shimmer with memories, each one floating gently to the surface. They even piped in some blowing artificial snow! The snow globe wasn’t just a metaphor—it was a feeling. Encased in this magical world, I could see the moments of my childhood swirling around me, untouched by time.
Christmastime has always been a part of my life, and I can’t imagine a year without its magic, no matter how old I get.
My mom always made this time of year special. People were kinder, my grandmother’s cooking was unparalleled, and Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncle’s house—just one street over—overflowed with warmth and joy.
My grandmother lived on the first floor of their house, and my aunt lived upstairs. I can’t count the times I ran up and down those stairs, bursting with excitement because Christmas had finally arrived.
“Christmas may be a day of feasting or a day of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrances—a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.”
Augusta E. Randel
Sure, I think about the gifts we gave and received over the years—that magical excitement never truly fades. But it’s the memories, the portal to Christmases past, that warm my heart the most.
Oddly enough, I can’t recall many specific gifts, except for one Christmas when I got the biggest race track ever. What I do remember are the laughs, the hugs, the obligatory kisses on both cheeks, the coffee percolator bubbling away, the smells of food (and certain aunts’ perfume), and the joy of simply being together.
We were creating our own living snow globes back then, filled with love and connection. And today, the greatest gift I have is the ability to step back into that magical world at this time of the year.
“Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart—filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever. Even though you grew up and found you could never bring back the magic feeling of this night, the melody would stay in your heart always—a song for all the years.”
Bess Streeter Aldrich
Bess is almost right. For me, the magic of that night never left. It lives on, swirling in my heart like the snow in a globe, ready to be shaken to life each December.
Talk soon…
G
