Once upon a time, maybe just a few days ago but far from here, maybe far from anywhere, the ghosts got together to share their tales.
\nThey gathered in a lodge on the edge of winter. Through the windows, you might see polar bears or snow sparrows or spirits of the aurora dancing through the skies.
\nThe ghosts told of their greatest hauntings, which often involved people they\u2019d known in life\u2014and just as often, transformation.
\nThis night, one of the youngest ghosts, fresh to the realms of haunting, said she\u2019d experienced something wholly unexpected just one night or a lifetime ago. She had arrived to present her message of hope but found the target of her haunting preparing two mugs of hot chocolate.
\nHe had ground the cocoa himself and heated the milk slowly, adding a touch of corn starch to thicken it and spices to sweeten it, just as his grandmother had done. He was pouring the chocolate over huge marshmallows for the two of them when she arrived. He said he\u2019d been expecting her.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to expect me,\u201d she told him.
\nIn reply, he motioned toward the mugs on the table.
\nShe sipped the chocolate, and never before had tasted something so rich or so delicious. They drank in silence, having said all they\u2019d needed to say during life. They danced slow in each other\u2019s arms for a huge stretch of the night. Then he kissed her.
\nAfter she left, she found herself once again a phantom, incapable of touch, barely capable of the tears at her eyes even now, and certainly unable to drink anything.
\nOne of the older ghosts, well-travelled and wise, said, \u201cMagic is always a mystery. Maybe you needed the haunting more than he did.\u201d
\n\u201cI still don\u2019t understand how it happened,\u201d she admitted.
\nThe old and wise ghost said, \u201cSometimes, understanding isn\u2019t required. Just accept the Christmas miracle for what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"