For the record, I believe in Santa Claus.  I refuse to discuss it, listen to naysayers or accept any form of “proof” to the contrary.  I enjoy my system of beliefs and role model them for others – including my own children.

Many worry about nurturing their inner child.  I’ve been told I have an inner adult.  There is just too much to enjoy in life and it should be enjoyed with the enthusiasm of a child.

And the holidays are a wonderful recharge for that.  Just as Halloween is embraced as an opportunity for adults to behave like children, so too should Christmas be embraced as an opportunity for adults to believe like children.

For those of you who are having trouble re-connecting, let me give you a little refresher course:

Children expect nothing and therefore are always surprised.  Adults expect everything and therefore are always disappointed.

Children don’t care about your job, title, power or the money you make.  Adults obsess over them.

Children are brutally honest.  Adults worry about other people’s issues with themselves.

Children take you at face value.  You don’t need to prove yourself to a child – their trust is yours to lose.  Adults demand undeserved respect and establish rules for propriety.

I recently met a mother and her 4 year old son at a festival my company had a presence at.  The son was full of energy and excitement – even when nothing was happening.  The anticipation of the day’s events was good enough for him.  No, he wasn’t “out of control” or “hyper,” he simply wanted to enjoy life.  He couldn’t wait to tackle the day – “carpe diem!”

The mother looked at her son and said, “I wish I had his energy.”  Setting youth aside, I’ve met a number of old, even infirmed adults with that same enthusiasm.  Energy has very little to do with it.  It’s more a choice to be.

The choice has nothing to do with possessions either.  I don’t remember a moment from my childhood where the truck I played with in the sandbox needed to be replaced with the newest model.

So where does the magic go for most of us?  When did our imagination and creativity receive the school yard beat down?

It doesn’t take an effort to enjoy life.  It’s simply a terrible habit to allow life to pass you by. Apathy is arguably the core of all major problems in the world today.

It’s a sad development in everyone’s life where practical matters outweigh abandon.  We see it in all relationships – friends, marriages, even our treatment of ourselves.  We look for leadership, and many politicians do an exceptional job of convincing us of our priorities – subjecting art and music programs to budget cuts.   Can anyone show me where a football program has been cut to promote better test scores?  I dare say that the proponents of these choices are not creative nor were they ever encouraged to be so.

So to encourage imagination, creativity and the belief in things wonderful and magical is to raise a generation of creative problem-solvers – those who ask “why not?” instead of react to problems with a quick fix.

I still don’t look for the strings at a magic show and Santa visits my house every year.  Will you try to stay awake to see him this year or wake up to coal in your stocking?