I believe in Santa. I’m not talking about the man with a snow white beard and rosy red cheeks. Not the man who rides in on his flying sled with nine faithful companions guiding him from rooftop to rooftop. But I’m talking about the magic and imagination Santa brings to every young child’s life. They find inspiration and magic in everything they do.
As a child, the world you live in is so small, the boundaries start at one side of the backyard and end at the other. Mom knows everything, nothing is impossible for dad, and going to the park is a new adventure every time. Very little is disappointing and life is full of happiness.
What happens?
Sometime in between finding out that there is no Santa and entering Junior High we lose the imagination we once had. No more building forts full of dragons or sailing the deep blue sea with your brother in the basement. No more feeling beautiful in mom’s high heels or playing ‘teacher’ and ‘student’ for fun. Life turns into obligations. Obligations to clean the house, do school work, or do the laundry are only a few. What causes adults to replace simplicity and freedom with commitments and responsibility? Obviously there are always going to be things in life that must get done, but why do we have to give up our childhood lifestyle to accomplish them?
Believing in Santa also shows the amount of trust children have in the people around them. Telling them that a plump man in a red suit comes down the chimney to deliver present seems like a pretty crazy idea, but if mom and dad said it, it must be true.
I believe that everyone, adults and children should have ‘Santa’ in their lives. So what is more important, doing the laundry or playing pirates with your kids?