There is a magic about Christmas — and it’s different for every person.

Growing up in the small community of Bad Axe, the county seat of Huron County, which is located at the tip of the Thumb of Michigan, I remember Christmas Eves and Christmas Days that were so tranquil, you felt you were in a picturesque Currier and Ives scene.

Although there were some holidays that didn’t have snow, Bad Axe is part of snow belt and it was usually a pretty sure bet you’d see that white stuff on the ground by Dec. 24.

Oh sure, during the day Dec. 24 the streets of the several blocks of the downtown were filled with cars and the sidewalks lined with shoppers getting ready for the holiday.

But by 9 p.m., maybe 10 p.m., the downtown streets were pretty vacant — residents were at home or maybe in church. And by midnight, when all or most of the people not at mass were snuggled into their beds, if you took a walk downtown (and it was very safe to do so in Bad Axe) you saw a sky that seemed clearer, snow that was cleaner and holidays lights were brighter then they are today. Were they more vivid? Maybe not, but one’s mind has a way of sharpening the scenes, even if the memory is dulled.

Of course, I’m going back 30-some years and maybe Christmas Eve in Bad Axe today wouldn’t exude the same feelings for me. Maybe they never did for anyone else. But that’s OK. These are my memories and I wanted to share them. What are your memories of Christmas? The good ones. The memories that bring a smile to your face and warmth to your soul.

Every year The Oakland Press writes a Christmas Eve editorial and a Christmas Day editorial. Of course, one of the main purposes is to highlight, as they say “the reason for the season.”

For Christians, it’s the celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Yet, amid this one, simple reason, individual Christians have their own memories and celebrations of the holiday.

And for non-Christians who live in the United States, they too have had enough encounters with the holiday to have created their own memories, some admittedly, not necessarily positive.

But the ultimate point of any Christmas editorial, in any given year, is that the holiday may be Christian but its message is universal.

Peace on earth. Goodwill toward men. How can any sane, logical and reasonable person argue with those simple yet powerful goals?

Growing up Jewish in a small community that is 99.9 percent Christian is not necessarily difficult if the small town is in the United States, where most rural Americans value freedom of religion and respect individuals who possess moral values, a strong work ethic and integrity. Those values are espoused by Christianity but not confined to it. They are values that most religions today, ideally, would want to see in their followers.

So, enjoying Christmas in a small town — or in an urban center — is easy because there are no religious boundaries to the values Christ taught.

Every individual has his or her own recollection of Christmas. I just hope people dwell on the positive memories and not the negative ones.