It didn’t start with a book.
Or an app.
Or even a plan.
It started with a purse—a round one that looked like a clock.
I carried it for a year so we could keep up with the time during home visits. I’d tell anyone who commented on it that at the North Pole, we have no clocks. So when we travel, the elves make sure I have a purse with the local time to help us arrive on time for each event.
After that first year, I added lights—programmable ones. At first, they were just a subtle signal to help Santa and me know when it was time to start saying our goodbyes.
But then… the idea of creating Christmas Magic began to form.
I found a remote that Santa could use to control the lights, and I created a program that would light them up a few at a time.
I began building a little routine—inviting the children to remember moments when they had smiled, shown kindness, shared love, or created good memories.
While at a home visit, I tried it out, thinking it might be a fun way to keep the kids engaged.
But what happened next became something so much bigger.
✨ The Birth of the Magic Meter
I told the children gathered around that this purse was actually a special device from the North Pole.
“It’s a Christmas Magic Meter,” I said.
And every time they shared joy or kindness, the lights would glow brighter—because their Christmas Magic was growing.
They were captivated.
The children leaned in. They whispered, “The Magic is going up!”
And the parents nearby smiled too—soft, knowing smiles.
In that moment, this little lit-up purse wasn’t just a toy.
It was a movement.
💫 A New Way to Talk About Magic
That day, I realized something important:
Kids don’t need to be threatened with coal.
They don’t need a list of what not to do.
Kids just needed to be asked to help.
They needed a way to see how goodness feels.
To understand that they can make Magic—just by being who they are.
By choosing kindness, sharing joy, and making someone smile.
That’s when the Christmas Magic Meter became more than a prop.
It became part of our message, our mission, and our story.
📖 From Storytime to Storybook
The following year, I wrote The Christmas Magic Meter—a storybook inspired by that moment.
In the book, Mama Claus and Happy Elf help make sure Santa will have enough Christmas Magic to spread joy on Christmas Eve. They remind families that the way to help Santa is to spark more smiles, share more kindness, and spread more joy.
That story led to so much more:
- 🎄 A mobile app that lets children measure their own Christmas Magic
- 🎨 A printable deck of activity cards that help families create Magic year-round
- 💖 A whole new way of thinking about Santa—not as a judge of behavior, but as a keeper of joy
Because in our world?
Magic isn’t something you earn.
It’s something you create.
🔧 Tools to Keep the Magic Growing
Whether you’re looking for meaningful holiday traditions, fun ways to build character, or a softer alternative to the “naughty or nice” list—we’ve created free tools to help:
🧰 Explore the Christmas Magic Toolkit »
You’ll find:
- A printable version of the Magic Meter
- Family-friendly activity cards
- Coloring pages
- And more ways to help your children feel the joy they create
🌟 From One Smile to a Movement
That first lit-up purse moment might’ve seemed small.
But small things—like kindness, like stories, like one loving tradition—have a way of glowing brighter and brighter over time.
That’s the heart of The Santa Legacy™.
And you’re part of it now.
