Amid the holiday bustle, pause and listen for the magic

Mon, 12/22/2025 - 1:38pm admin

By:

DOUG DICKERSON

“When something exceeds your ability to understand how it works, it sort of becomes magical.” - Jonathan Ive

Not long ago, I was walking into a store, and from a distance, I heard the very familiar sound of a bell

ringing. There was no mistaking this sound. It’s one I have heard many times before. It brought a smile to my

face, as it does each Christmas season.

That familiar sound of the Salvation Army bell ringer is one I was introduced to as a teenager many years

ago. My father taught my siblings and me the importance of remembering others during seasons like this, and

for several consecutive years, he had us working as bell ringers during the Christmas season.

It was an important lesson he wanted to impart to us about doing something tangible to help and serve others.

It was an early introduction to framing my leadership later in life.

Not only did my father have us ringing bells for the Salvation Army out in the frigid temperatures several

Christmas seasons in a row, but he also led by example. He was out there with us. He did this not because we

needed the money, but because others did.

The busyness of the season produces many casualties, least among them the ability to pause and reflect on

the things that truly matter. The magic of Christmas gets lost in the stress over our Amazon packages arriving

on time, company parties we’d rather skip, seeing relatives who drive us crazy, and fretting over whether

you’ll get that latest “trending” toy that you will have at a yard sale next year.

Sound familiar?

But amid all the noise, chaos, and stress, comes an invitation to listen for the magic. Where do you find it?

Here are a few ways it happens:

• The magic happens when you listen for the faint sound of the bells.

• The magic occurs when you see the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of a child.

• The magic comes when you deliver cookies to the local nursing home.

• The magic happens when you provide a meal for an elderly neighbor.

• The magic comes when you volunteer at your local food pantry.

• The magic happens when you realize that the Christmas season doesn’t have to be perfect; you just need to

be present.

Many years have passed since those bell-ringing days with the Salvation Army. It draws me back to where I

learned some of life’s most important lessons. Those lessons didn’t come from a book or a lecture but from a

bell and a red kettle.

As you navigate your way through the final days and hours of the Christmas season, I trust that it will be a

magical time for you. I hope you will discover or rediscover the magic it offers.