A childhood memory haunts me like the Ghost of Christmas Past. I was maybe 5 years old, snuggled into bed on Christmas eve and  — of course — wide awake. I recall with clarity a loud thump on the roof just above my upstairs bedroom. It sounded like a heavy object landed there. A sleigh perhaps? I squeezed closed eyes as big as saucers, fearful even a furtive glimpse of Santa outside my bedroom window might break some sort of spell and send him away before he could make his delivery.

My imagination ran wild back then, a creative fitness I wish I’d maintained. I probably fabricated the whole experience from wishful thinking. But I swear I heard something that night. While I’m willing to concede the possibility it wasn’t Santa Claus, I remain convinced it was.

I lead this little trip down my personal memory lane to make a point about Christmas: It’s magical. For children, to be sure. But also, I suspect, for those with more wrinkles on the outside and thoroughly young at heart on the inside.

I also believe in the reason for the season: the birth of a child who becomes the salvation of the world. An event heralded by angels remains to this day good tidings of great joy.

Celebrating Christmas constitutes something of a balancing act between the shopping sometimes required to make magic and heartfelt emotions underpinning the holidays, between the material and spiritual.

As a parent, I can testify to the profound satisfaction that comes from watching children open gift-wrapped boxes and discover inside exactly what they wanted. The same holds true for a husband who wanted desperately to give his wife something that would express in some small measure his love and admiration — the more dazzling, the better. It was enough to justify the anxious searches that proceeded those moments. I’d be remiss at this point not to thank all the business owners, managers and employees who worked so hard for so long to make that possible. The helpful staffs at local video game and jewelry stores come to mind, among others.

Equally satisfying, though, are simple gifts. No batteries required. I miss what for years was a Christmas Eve tradition for my family: an early candlelight church service followed by a tour of lights. Then it was home for a decadent meal comprised entirely of snacks — including my personal favorite, Little Smokies simmering in barbecue sauce.

Like so many things, there’s a risk of doing too much of one thing and not enough of another. People want to give gifts, decorate and party. By all means they should. That’s part of what the holidays are all about. The other part, though, is remaining mindful of  the other joys of the season — the fellowship of family and friends; the warmth and comforts of home; and on earth peace, good will toward men.

On balance, Christmas should be magical.

Christmas also affords an ideal time for extending well wishes and expressing gratitude to those who’ve done so much over the year.

To that end, I wish a merry Christmas and happy new year to my boss, Craig Hall, who not only makes it possible to do what I do, but also gives me unbridled freedom to do so.

Season’s greetings to Alowetta and Marc Terrien, the indefatigable couple that conjures the Business Times website out of Thin Air.

Holiday wishes to the columnists who so generously share their time and expertise: Dale Beede, Paula Reece, Marcus Straub and Rebecca Weitzel. That’s not to mention the good folks at Bray Real Estate; Brown & Brown; Dalby, Wendland & Co.; Mesa County Public Health and Western Colorado Human Resource Association.

Feliz Navidad to the individuals and organizations who help the editor of a business journal report business news, among them Robert Bray, Keira Bresnahan, Teri Cavanagh, Chris Chavez, Curtis Englehart, Celina Kirnberger, Karen Martsolf, Elaine Matthews, Annette Miller, Mike Moran, Dana Nunn, Sam Rainguet, Jodi Romero, Fran Stephens, Eleanor Thomas and Page Tucker as well as the staffs at the Business Incubator Center, Grand Junction Economic Partnership and local chambers of commerce.

Happy holidays to the businesses that advertise in the Business Times and provide the financial support that keeps the paper in operation.

Most of all, I wish Christmas cheer and new year prosperity to the readers of the Business Times. You remain the reason I do what I do.

In the words of Clement Moore: Happy Christmas to all. In the words of Charles Dickens: God bless us, everyone.