Annabelle’s Magic
By Rachel Hudson
“I love your hat!”
“I like your hat! It’s very a-moose-ing!”
“That is an amazing hat! Where did you find it?”
The truth is, I’m not even sure anymore where I found my Annabelle Hat, since I’ve had it for so long. It was most likely from one of the stores around here that doesn’t exist anymore, like K-Mart. But ever since I came into possession of this hat, its magic has strongly emanated into the world, every winter, for many, many years.
When I first started to wear my Annabelle Hat during every cold-weather birding outing, several things were immediately apparent. One: it was perfect for birding, as most hats of this type snugly covered my ears and prevented me from being able to hear any of the birds, but this one had a unique loose fit around my ears, so I could still hear everything clearly. Two: …what was this hat meant to represent, anyway? It was just sort of a… generic, antlered mammal of some sort. The face reminded me strongly of a cow and not of a deer, yet the spiky antlers were obviously not those of a bovine, but more like a deer or elk. It also seemed a little moose-like, thus prompting one of the above quotes. But because the face reminded me of a cow’s, and the antlers seemed deer-like to me, a distant memory resurfaced, and I knew what this hat represented to me.
This hat was an excellent likeness of Annabelle, the heroine of an old, animated Christmas movie, Annabelle’s Wish.
I was six years old when Annabelle’s Wish was released, in 1997. I loved animals, and I loved Christmas, so of course I also loved this movie. With a brilliant cast (which included Randy Travis, Jerry Van Dyke, Cloris Leachman, Kath Soucie, and more) and lovely music (performed by Randy Travis, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, and other amazing artists), the movie was a treat to listen to. It was one of the highest-rated and best-selling videos in the winter of 1997-1998, and some of the money made from its release was given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help sick children make their wishes come true.
Children and wishes are also the theme of this heartwarming Christmas movie. The movie begins as Santa Claus readies his sleigh on Christmas Eve; meanwhile, on a farm in Tennessee, a calf is born—our heroine, Annabelle. The farm is owned by Grandpa Charlie, a gentle old man with a big heart who takes care of his orphaned grandson, Billy, who lost his ability to speak after he was nearly killed in a barn fire, which traumatized him and made him fearful of the barn and the animals within.
Later that night, Santa arrives at Grandpa’s farm, and grants all the animals their yearly gift: the ability to speak for one full day. Annabelle is entranced by Santa’s reindeer, and when she sees them fly, she decides that that will be her wish when Santa returns the next year; she wants to fly like a reindeer. When morning comes, Billy sees Santa’s gift to him waiting outside: little Annabelle. Overjoyed, he starts to play with her, and follows her into the barn for the first time since the fire. Inside, Annabelle speaks… which she wasn’t meant to do in front of humans, but the animals’ Christmas secret is safe with Billy. He then learns of her wish to fly like Santa’s reindeer, and he ties some twigs to her head to look like antlers, much to her delight.
Unfortunately, trouble also brews on the farm, as Billy’s aunt Agnes (not related by blood to Grandpa Charlie), a wicked, wealthy lady from the big city, decides that her “perfect” city life can only be made complete by having a picture-perfect child there, as well. She then begins to try and take Billy from his Grandpa, a plot lasting the length of the movie. As the year progresses, Annabelle and Billy have many adventures together, and form a close bond. When Christmas comes around once more, Agnes has finalized her plot to legally adopt Billy, which can only be halted if Billy says otherwise, which of course, he cannot. As Billy opens his Christmas present from Santa, he is confused, for the box is empty, and he says as much to Grandpa… everyone is amazed that he can speak. Billy states that he wants to stay with his Grandpa, and he rushes out to talk to Annabelle… who cannot reply. Her wish to Santa was that Billy could speak instead of her, and so, she sacrificed her ability to speak forever, as well as her dream to fly. At the end of the movie, Annabelle, very old and weak, wanders out into the snow one Christmas Eve, trailed by the now grown-up Billy, who knows something is wrong. Santa meets them, and grants a special wish from Billy; that Annabelle can become one of Santa’s reindeer and fly with them. She is then transformed into a beautiful young reindeer, who can speak and fly, and she excitedly leads Santa’s team off into the cold, clear Christmas night.
Annabelle’s Wish brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it, even to this day. Many selfless acts of kindness and moments of magic and wonder are sprinkled throughout the film, and I feel as much Christmas spirit and joy watching this movie now as I did when I was six. My hat, my Annabelle Hat, was originally named after Annabelle from the movie, and that was all. However, over the years, I’ve seen the magic from my simple little antlered hat spread out into the world and bring joy to others the same way Christmas magic spread joy in the movie.
When I wear my hat out and about, almost inevitably, someone will comment on it. At first, it was quite fun, and I really enjoyed seeing people’s smiles and happy reactions to the odd little hat. But over time, especially in recent years, I’ve seen Annabelle’s magic deepen. In today’s world, everything is busy, everyone is busy, and the rush to get from one place to the next is overwhelming. It is as if the fast-paced, high-strung, demanding city life Aunt Agnes lived has permeated into all corners of the countryside. When I was little, a “quick trip to the store” would turn into an afternoon’s worth of visiting with friends and strangers alike, chatting about the little things in life, taking time to enjoy the world as we went. But now, the stores are crowded with people who want to escape, not talk; I, too, try my best to keep my head down and not make eye contact with anyone—the faster I can get home, the better. What happened? Many of us seem to have been robbed of our voices, much like Billy was.
But my Annabelle Hat changes things. Annabelle’s true wish was that Billy could talk; and my Annabelle Hat seems to spread that exact wish into the “real world”. On countless occasions, as I walked in silence while wearing my hat, someone would speak to me. They would comment on my hat, always saying how much they liked it. And many times, a conversation would develop. These perfect strangers, people I had never seen before and whom I would never see again, would magically talk to me, and I would reply. We would sometimes talk of memories that my hat brought back to them. We would talk about other fun hats they’ve enjoyed. We would share little stories from our lives, briefly connecting over a silly little winter hat with pink antlers. On one occasion, as I was ordering food after a long day of birding, the lady handing me my order said, “That’s quite the serious face for someone wearing such a fun hat!” I was suddenly brought back to life—I hadn’t even noticed that I was feeling a bit down. But she was right, and with Annabelle’s magic and the voice of that lady, I felt happiness once again. In times that can be so busy and self-centered, Annabelle’s magic persists, and brings a little glimmer of joy back to the lives of many, including myself. It is also a reminder that we all share this world together, and can certainly afford to at least speak to one another and share something happy, no matter how little it may be. The wish to talk to others, to share real, human emotions with someone else, to give voice to something longing to be said, to bond with another soul for even just a moment… that is the magic this darling hat of mine brings to life.
