“Mom? Dad? Is Santa real?”

Here’s a summary of what was actually a much more clumsy, clunky and long-winded reply. We can only wish our reply was this succinct. “Yes. Yes he is. He is real, he is real in a lot of different ways and forms. He’s a spirit, an elf, a concept. He is generosity and Love and giving. He is wonder and magic. We can all be Santa, we all keep him strong. We do it by dropping a couple dollars in the Red Bucket, by donating to charities, by donating to our local Food Pantry. That is how Santa gets his magic. That is how Santa brings you gifts. That is how he is able to bring gifts to children living with less than you. Santa protects children and their innocence.”

“But is he a person?”

Annie and I looked at each other.

Our daughter is a smart and interesting kid. She has an analytical style of thinking. She is critical and she is curious. She’s done quite a few things in nine fast years. She is fascinated with robotics and has what is looking like an aptitude for computer coding. She wishes to learn the violin and piano, and has what might look like a few low-level stints in film.

And she believes in Santa Claus, but more than that, she wants to believe in Santa Claus.

We work hard to keep Santa alive. Innocence is a tragically fleeting phase in life. Why kill it? Eventually it will disappear anyway. There are few things more important for children than innocence and imagination. It’s important because imagination will save the world.

She isn’t jaded yet (she will be). She finds the world fascinating, watching her learn and discover is one of the greatest joys in my life. It has encouraged me to reconnect with the child I once was. When was the last time you stopped to stare at an ant hill?

When we had the opportunity to sign Lydia up with the local Charter School, we jumped on it.

First and foremost, Lyd’s wide-ranging mind is a perfect fit for the Charter School. But more than that, she’s learning alternative methods for approaching problems. Not necessarily better or worse methods, simply different methods. My philosophy is, if a million kids get the same education, then when they grow up, the same million solutions will be proposed for a problem. Let’s mix it up a bit and toss in some kids with a slightly different education.

And again, despite her curious and thoughtful and analytical mind, she still believes in Santa Claus. We still move that Elf on the Shelf every night. However, the first hints of realization are sneaking in. Once in a while, she’ll look at us with scrunched eyebrows. Eventually she’ll start putting two and two together. It motivates us to double-down on maintaining the myth of a man wearing red sliding down chimneys.

The world’s issues will be solved by creative problem solving. Creative problem solving is kept afloat by imagination. Nothing encourages imagination more than the arts, literature and innocence.

Children live without limitations. They can fly, they can defeat dragons. Those are not Captain America pajamas, that kid is Captain America, and he just defeated Red Skull. It’s not a stick, it’s a light saber. Of course you can have an animal that is half Pegasus and half Unicorn! Children are experts at wielding a free-range imagination. Hence they are perfect vessels for creative solutions. An active imagination indicates an active mind. An active mind that is armed with Shakespeare, Kipling, Vonnegut, Mozart, Rossini and Newton will have a million potential solutions constantly stirring in their heads. The cure for cancer might start with a mix of Madame Curie, a heavy dose of Tolkien and a dash of Vivaldi.

The moment I learned Santa was not “real” was a horrible moment for me. That loss of innocence heralded a period of being jaded. Magic is not real. For many years I walked around with the “Magic is not real” card in my pocket.

Now that I have lived some life, now that I am a parent, I have come to realize that the “Magic is not real” period, like innocence, is a fleeting phase, or rather, it can be a fleeting phase. I have come to realize that magic actually is real. It’s not the magic I saw as a child, but it is still magic nonetheless. Middle-Aged me, thanks in part to my daughters, is beginning to make a U-turn back towards innocence and magic. I have stopped carrying that “Magic is not real” card around with me.

Santa is real, because we are all real and we are all trying to be better, trying to do better. It would behoove us to try and embrace our inner Santas all year long.

“Yes Lyd, Santa is a person. But he can be more than a person, he can be many things.”

In our Home, we practice and celebrate the arts. We promote reading, and literature. We encourage imagination by maintaining childhood innocence for as long as possible. We maintain innocence because innocence is the undone bindings of imagination.

Santa is as real as you. Don’t deny your children or yourself that joy.

My family and I wish you all a blessed and Merry Christmas.

As always, Love your Loved ones, and be Loved by those who Love you.