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Families from around the world gathered Wednesday night at Lee's Summit's Magic Tree to kick off the holiday season, creating new traditions and breaking down cultural barriers in the process.
The Magic Tree pop-up bar, nestled within the construction of the Paragon Star development, is celebrating its 12th year as a holiday tradition.
The Paragon Star venue will soon be part of a permanent entertainment district in the city.
"The magic is full swing ahead," said Flip Short, CEO of Paragon Star. "We're growing and there's more and more coming ahead."
Bartender Jason Van Fleet served up festive drinks to visitors, with the Rudolph rum punch his current favorite.
The atmosphere brings together people from different backgrounds, all united with the holiday spirit.
For the Homen family visiting from Warrensburg, the Magic Tree represents a chance to start a new tradition as a blended family. Ashley Homen expressed joy in watching her family during the tree lighting ceremony.
"I just love to see us come together and make this new memory as a new, blended family," Ashley Homen said. "Anytime we can have extra time together, and get out of the house and it's meaningful — it's important."
Her children, Eli and Halle, emphasized the importance of those moments and the lasting bonds as a family.
"You should always stick with your family and love them and they treat you well," Eli said. "It's a special moment we can do every year and hang out with the family."
Halle, 14, reinforced the message about family loyalty, noting that the ones closest to you "are the only ones that are going to be there for you in 40 years. Out of everybody, they're the only ones going to be here for you."
The celebration also attracted international visitors experiencing American holiday traditions for the first time.
Two exchange student from Lee's Summit West HIgh School came to the tree lighting ceremony.
Antonina Beluicka, visiting from Poland, shared excitement about trying traditional American holiday foods and gratitude for the cultural experience.
"I want to really experience eating turkey with cranberry sauce," Beluicka said. "In Poland... we are more grateful not for people, but for every food."
Lucas Jensen, visiting from Denmark, is looking forward to experiencing American winter activities and sharing that some cultural assumptions don't always match reality.
"People say Denmark is so cold and we ski and all that, but we don't," he said. "I am excited to see all that snow here."
For Beluicka, the experience confirmed an important message about human connection across cultures and the danger of preconceived notions.
"We have a lot of stereotypes about Americans and everything, but it's completely different," she said. "We should not be closed to them. We should be more open, and open to experience the culture."
One young visitor, Briar, summed up the magic simply, describing the Magic Tree as "beautiful."
Lights on the Magic Tree will shine year-round moving forward and the bar will be open throughout December. For more information, click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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