It’s not my imagination.  Christmas comes earlier every year.  I saw Santa trinkets in stores before Halloween!

Sacrilege!

But…isn’t almost everything we do this time of year sacrilegious?  Hanukkah gifts?  THAT wasn’t a tradition when I was a kid!

What I miss most is that elusive Holiday Magic that seems to only exist in advertising.  As a kid, I got it, every year, in downtown San Francisco at Emporium Capwell and, later, FAO Schwarz.

FAO was located where Barney’s is today.  The set up was similar, same escalator.  Imagine walking in and instantly seeing three stories of toys.  Lots of kids were apoplectic at the front door coming in and totally overloaded going out.

Emporium Capwell was a big department store on Market Street.  Now, it’s the Westfield Mall.  Only the original dome is still there.

Every Christmas, the roof became a Holiday Carnival.  It was amazing!  I couldn’t stop talking all the way there.

Will there be rides again…Will I see Santa…Are the reindeer gonna be there…Is it gonna snow…Will there be a princess…I don’t like elves

The moment we’d walk in, my mouth would shut and my eyes would open wide.

I remember the energy more than anything.  Everyone was happy, and generous and smiling.  There were tons of kids I could insta-friend and really, really nice adults.

Things are a little different today.  You don’t have to be naive, or innocent, to have magic in your life.  But, it’s harder to find that natural magic lately.  You know, a feeling that isn’t manufactured by marketing professionals.

I think, more often than not, I find it in yoga.  It shows up in my practice and teaching.

This picture kind of says it all.  Yes, that’s me and yes, my Mom made them retake the pictures-he wasn’t blinking.

Things don’t always go perfectly but if you can’t laugh at a ridiculous situation (like Santa falling asleep)…well, maybe you should do more yoga.