25 Days of Christmas - Day 9: You're Never Too Old to Believe in Santa Claus

Good ole Saint Nick, the jolly fat man in the red suit. He's pretty awesome and is a figure that is quintessentially Christmas. You couldn't shoehorn him into any other holiday if you tried. He's as ubiquitous to Christmas as the little bunny to Easter or Cupid is to Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, that's all he's become: simply a figurehead.

When we were younger, we all believed wholeheartedly in Santa Claus. We honestly thought that if we left out a milk and cookies on Christmas Eve and found the plate and glass empty the next morning but presents under the tree that Santa was the reason. It wasn't until we were older (but none the wiser) that we discovered it was our parents eating the cookies, drinking the milk, and BUYING the toys. There was no Santa's workshop in the North Pole, no were there any elves making our Barbie dream houses or GI Joe action figures, but most of all, no fat guy with a white beard and red suit delivering the toys to us in a sleigh being pulled by reindeer. Let me tell you, that's pretty heartbreaking to have the wool pulled from over your eyes.

Until recently, I'd not seen Miracle on 34th Street in many years (the remake.) I still have yet to see the original. Film critiques aside, I love the overall message of the film: you're never too old to believe in Santa Claus. Why shouldn't you? There's no harm in enjoying the IDEA of Santa. I think it's perfectly acceptable to believe in him. Just to be clear, this is not symptomatic of some mental illness. It's about the whimsical nostalgia of regaining childhood fancy. More people should encourage the idea of Santa Claus.

I have heard many stories over the years of parents that won't allow their children to believe in Santa Claus. I think that's insane. Santa is a big part of our lives whenever we conjure up memories of Christmas from when we were kids. With children growing up so fast these days, why not allow them to hold onto that last piece of their childhood for as long as possible?