Regular readers of this column already know that I am married to a magician.

As such, it’s rare for me to be the one who creates the magic in our home.

Last weekend, though, I pulled off a little pink Christmas miracle that made two special little girls very happy.

When I was 3 years old, I received a bicycle for Christmas. It was a 20-inch, baby blue Schwinn Bantam model that was actually too big for me, but I was thrilled nonetheless. It might seem like I was too young to remember the experience, but that bike — and its very necessary training wheels — became a huge part of my life for nearly the next decade.

Dad wanted me to have a high-quality bike, and he selected this one carefully at a little store known as Ward’s in his hometown of Wellston, Ohio. As I recall, any time we needed anything for that bike, whether it was an inner tube or a new reflector, we went to Ward’s to get it.

I carried nearly everything you can imagine in the blue and white basket on the handlebars, and I treated that bike with great care. I never laid it down on its side; I always parked it using the kickstand. And in the evening, my bike didn’t get left in the yard. Instead, there was a spot reserved for it on our enclosed “side porch.” There, it could be locked up and protected from the weather.

As I got older and moved on to a 10-speed, my two oldest nephews were born. Although they had access to numerous old bicycles of various models as well as bikes of their own, they each also had a turn at using my Schwinn.

Fast forward to 2020, and both nephews have small children of their own. One of them, Jim Compston, has remained a bicycle enthusiast, building and tinkering with bikes off and on for years now.

This past summer, he called me and asked if his eldest daughter, 5-year-old Zadie, might be able to have my old Schwinn. She had pretty much outgrown her first bike and was ready to move to a bigger one. I gave it a lot of thought, wanting to share it with her but also wanting her to have a bicycle of her very own. I put the decision off until I knew exactly what to do.

About six weeks ago, I called Jim and made sure it would be OK with him and his wife, Jordan, if I were to buy Zadie a “big girl bike.” I knew just what I was looking for — a modern-day version of that trusty old Schwinn.

I had already started my search before they agreed, so I quickly narrowed down my online options. You see, Schwinn bicycles in the style I was seeking were not easy to come by in person at retail stores this year.

I settled on a bright pink, 20-inch Schwinn Fair Lady model with tall handlebars and a banana seat. I was delighted to learn that it just happened to be the company’s 125th anniversary edition, making it even a little more special.

I placed my order and started planning for how to unveil this gift. My husband, Mike, and I mulled several ideas, then we waited to see how the holidays would actually play out.

One concern I had was how Zadie’s little sister, Tessa, would react to Zadie getting such a big gift. I had purchased some toys (including a “Dressy Kids” doll that Tessa absolutely loves) for her, but I still felt that I needed something more. Then, while I was out shopping for others, I walked right up on the perfect gift for 2-year-old Tessa — a bright pink Schwinn tricycle, complete with its own banana seat.

Mike walked up as I stood staring at it in shock, and he said simply: “Yes, you have to buy it.”

About that same time, Zadie’s bike was delivered. Mike and I spent an exhausting — and frustrating — evening assembling the two vehicles, and then we started to make plans.

Unfortunately, COVID concerns and other obligations kept some relatives from getting together at Christmas, but Jim was able to bring his family to our house on Chrstmas Eve, where my brother Larry and his wife Marie — Zadie and Tessa’s “Grandpa and Momo” — were able to join us.

We parked those bikes on our back deck before anyone arrived on Dec. 24, and we quietly warned the adults not to open that door. Then we all set about eating what Zadie declared to be her “favorite Christmas dinner” — ham, macaroni salad and a wide variety of pickles, olives, vegetables and other “finger foods.” Afterward, it was time to open gifts. When all the packages under the tree had been unwrapped, Zadie seemed to think there was something more. So, she and Tessa and I went exploring, venturing out the front door to see if we could spot Santa and his reindeer overhead. Jordan followed, recording everything on her phone.

When we came back inside the other adults had disappeared, but we heard a booming voice in the distance calling out, “Ho! Ho! Ho!”

We followed our ears to the back deck, and when we opened the door — pure joy!

Zadie exclaimed, “I always wanted a bike like this!”

Tessa didn’t really say much, but she laughed and sprinted to the trike, back to her Mommy, back to the trike and then off to hug everyone.

It only took a moment before Tessa had climbed aboard and started making her way wherever she could get, trying the pedals but mostly using her little feet on the floor.

Zadie, meanwhile, sat atop that banana seat, talking with her dad about how the bike would get to their house and when. She pointed out that the tall handlebars were just like his, and that made her very happy.

That was how I made a little Christmas magic, and it gives me hope for a magical 2022.

Happy New Year to you!