Making magic
Remembering special Christmases and focusing on creating more for their kids
Eight-year-old Sarah Sherman dreamed of having an Easy Bake Oven. It was the Christmas of 1974, and she had begged her parents for it her entire life – as a kid, a few years felt like an eternity.
Although Christmas was always wonderful for her growing up, store-bought gifts could be hit or miss.
But she had hope.
After all, the little play oven wasn’t desirable just for silly kid reasons.
Sherman wanted it for a very practical reason.
HELPING MOM
She wasn’t sure her mother ever slept. Five a.m. would come each morning and her mother would be up getting breakfast ready for her father and the children.
Coffee thermos in hand, her father would go off to work. Children in hand, her mother would walk them to school, which was two kilometres each way.
She would spend the day doing whatever it was moms did, and when Sherman walked through the door after school, there was always fresh baking.
All Sherman wanted was an Easy Bake Oven so she could help her mother cook and bake.
HOPING SANTA CAME THROUGH
Money was tight, but the children all marked up the Sears and Eaton’s Wishbook catalogues as they did every year.
They knew if they were fortunate, they might get one big thing.
Christmas morning came around and, instead of waking at 5 a.m. to the smell of coffee and breakfast, the children were sent back to bed with their full stockings until 6 a.m. It’s the contradiction of Christmas morning: kids want to wake up early, and parents want to sleep-in.
Sherman and her siblings raced to the tree at 6 a.m. as their father stoked the fire and their mother made coffee.
Then, it was time.
DREAM COME TRUE
Sherman got her Santa gift and tore it open to find … yes!
A green and blue Easy Bake Oven, plus a whole box of extra mixes!
After her family opened some other gifts, her father reached behind the tree to pull out another big gift for her.
“He must’ve had a good year at work,” she thought.
She opened the box to find a pink record player with a double album of children’s songs.
Sherman was elated.
She spent the rest of that Christmas day playing her records, singing, “Mama’s gonna bake you some shortenin’ bread,” at the top of her lungs while waiting for that little Easy Bake lightbulb to bake four cookies on the tiny baking sheet.
‘MOST SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EVER’
Sherman fondly regards this as her favourite, most memorable Christmas. The now 57-year-old lives in Fosterville, N.B., and carries this memory with her into Christmas 2023.
“My dad was a great sport and ate those awful things I made every time I brought them out! I loved cooking them but had little interest in eating them,” she said.
“I’m pretty sure my brothers remember it differently, as they likely found my singing constantly annoying, but wow, eight was an amazing year! I was so happy. That was the most special Christmas ever.”
That Christmas taught her a very important lesson that she has also carried with her through the years.
“It isn’t the presents that count – it’s the love they are given with and that moms
will do everything in their power to fulfill their child’s dreams.”
MAKING MAGIC HAPPEN
Sarah Miesner is a mother who loves making Christmas as magical as possible for her two young children.
The 36-year-old from Lunenburg, N.S., says that her most memorable Christmas was in 2021. She had bought a book for her children called “The Festival of the Elves.”
“It is such a heartwarming and cute story, where two little elves go to the human world to bring magic to a family. They do so by leaving them little notes every day from Dec. 1 to Dec. 25,” Miesner explained.
“Each of these notes contain a riddle, a game, a treasure hunt, something to colour or craft, or something to be thankful for. So, every morning, my two little kids would go looking for this elf note and be all excited for what’s to come.”
NEW TRADITION
These little notes brought such delight to her kids and 2021 marked the beginning of a family Christmas tradition.
“It’s the pure joy and excitement,
and the sparkle my kids eyes every year when December comes. Our two little elves are like a part of our family now and I love how the children started thinking about how to do nice things for others, and implemented tradition all around them,” she said.
“They started creating little notes for other people and it really just makes the most magical Christmas season.”
In addition to teaching her children kindness, it has expanded the meaning of tradition for Miesner.
“Tradition doesn’t always have to be old, or boring … you can make your own traditions whenever you want,” she said.
‘PRACTICE KINDNESS’
Miesner plans on continuing the tradition until her children grow out of it, as it’s a fun and effective way to teach important lessons.
“To me, it’s important that my children learn that Christmas is not just about what they want, and what they get, but also what they can do for others,” she said.
“This little elf tradition is a child-friendly way for them to learn and practice kindness.”