We hear about the “magic” of the season a lot this time of year, but what exactly is it about Christmas that makes us feel this way? Is it the family gatherings, the laughter, the warmth of a cozy fire, the festive lights or is it something else?

“Feliz Navidad” was ringing through the Faber household as I sat down to write our Christmas article. Christmas music in the beginning of November seems a little early. Christmas celebrations should have a firm line in being celebrated post-Thanksgiving.

In winter, I have often stood in the icicle air and gazed up at the starlit sky. The pinpricks of light shimmer and flicker in the velvet blackness, while their reflections, like millions of candles, dance across the frozen snow. The whole world sleeps under the warmth of an icy blanket. My soul is filled with indescribable peace as I marvel at the grandeur of it all.

I was destined to love Christmas. With the name “Joy,” how could I not? For so much of my life, I believed that the reason I loved Christmas was some delicate balance of gifts and decor, and the wide variety of sweet treats, but as an adult, I see there’s so much more.