The Kaleidoscope And The Power Of Illusion

There are many different types of toys. However, some of them seem to be almost magical, or at least they have been for us. I would include the kaleidoscope as one of these, as it allows you to see the world in so many different shapes and colors. It has always been one of my favorite toys. However, pronouncing its name is not quite so simple.

Today we’re going to look at the power of hope and how it can help us achieve the impossible. We’re going to use a Christmas story, but the message is the same whatever time of year it is!

I remember it was Christmas, there were decorations throughout the house. Many of them were hanging from that wonderful tree that almost touched the ceiling, adorned with colored balls and golden streamers. All of this before the eyes of a six-year-old girl who believed faithfully in magic, and in Santa Claus.

The perfect present

I went out for a walk with my father, and we went to have a look at some toys. As soon as I saw this particular toy, I was adamant that it just had to be my Christmas present. No other present would do. It was a simple tube decorated with a family of bears on the outside. They were celebrating Christmas, as the little bears were holding decorations for the tree – colorful baubles, stars full of light, angels…

Bears were my favorite animal at that time. I had bear pajamas, a shirt with a photo of a real bear and hundreds of teddy bears of all types, colors and sizes. Ranging from the brown bear, to the polar bear, and many in between. The white polar bear, which lived on the ice, was my favorite of all. There was even a pink bear, and one with a red bow tie with white polka dots.

But that tube didn’t grab my attention only because of the bears. I was amazed at how you could see so many different combinations of shapes and colours when you looked through it. To others it may have seemed strange, but for me it was beautiful. Stars becoming flowers, flowers becoming circles, circles in diamonds and so on into an infinity of mixtures of shapes and colors, so different and yet so symmetrical. Looking through that tube made me feel I could travel to other worlds, and live a thousand adventures in a single moment.

The kaleidoscope

I pleaded with my Dad that it should be my present.

“Daddy, daddy, please can I have that tube with the nice bears”.

“The kaleidoscope?” answered my father, with a broad smile.

“The kaladdy…”, I said, with my special grin that I had when something aroused my insatiable curiosity.

“We’ll ask Santa, but you’ll have to learn to say it first”, my father said as he laughed.

Back home, I didn’t stop trying to pronounce that confounded word. Kaladdy, kadiscoppy, kalaydo, kallydossy, kalicoppy… But it was no good, I just couldn’t say it. My older brother laughed at all the words I had invented in a matter of moments and repeated the word to me – KALEIDOSCOPE. I kept trying to learn the name, but as I could never get it right, I thought that Santa wouldn’t bring it for me.

Finally Christmas Day arrived, and when it was time to open my presents, I felt a little sad. I kept trying to pronounce the name of the gift I wanted so much. But I couldn’t get past the first few letters. I opened my first gift, sure that it wouldn’t be the tube with pretty bears. But when I opened it, there it was! As it was the gift I had wanted so much, I felt so happy that without thinking I said out loud “Wow! The KALEIDOSCOPE that I wanted!”

Every effort has its reward. The girl in this Christmas story was about to lose faith that she would ever receive the gift she had wanted so much. She just couldn’t say the name of it, however much she tried. But, on receiving the gift and feeling so happy, she managed to pronounce it with no problem at all. No doubt she will never forget how to pronounce the word kaleidoscope. Nor will she ever forget that Christmas and just what it meant to her.