by Holle Abee

Created on: November 12, 2008

Early childhood should be a happy, wondrous time, filled with magic and fantasy. In this modern world, kids grow up much too quickly. They start attending an organized regiment of pre-K at the age of 4. why not just let them be kids for a few years?

Young children should have the opportunity to believe in the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, the Great Pumpkin, leprechauns, and most of all, Santa Claus!

The figure of the jolly old elf, in actuality, is based on a real man. A wealthy citizen of Asia Minor, Nicholas gave gifts and money to children and to poor families in the fourth century. This historical seed evolved into our belief in Santa, with the help of Clement Clark Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas," better known as "The Night Before Christmas." Moore wrote the story in 1822 as a gift for his children, and our concept of Santa Claus, the chubby little man dressed in a fur-trimmed red suit, is largely based on this tale.

I'm fifty years old, and I STILL believe in the magic of Christmas! Of course, I know that my credit card, and not a guy from the North Pole, delivers the goodies, but there is something magical about the holiday. After all, Christmas, with the birth of Christ, is the greatest gift ever given to us by God.

I believed in Santa until I was nine years old. It was wonderful thinking that a kind old man loved all the good children of the world. He didn't care if they were rich or poor, or black, white, red, or yellow. He didn't care what kind of family they came from. Yep, Santa was an equal-opportunity bearer of gifts!

So how does believing in this sort of goodness harm children in any way? It doesn't! My six grandchildren all still believe in Santa, and we perpetuate the myth every chance we get. We leave cookies and milk on Christmas Eve, we search the night sky for the Christmas star, and we listen closely for reindeer hooves on the roof.

As a teacher, I see other, more practical benefits in believing in Santa and his pals. It gives children the opportunity to think hypothetically. It encourages their creativity, which most of the modern world seems to squelch. Childhood is the prime time to instill the creative thought process, and if it's not nurtured in the early years, it's difficult to resurrect later.

There's another reason, of utmost importance, to believe in Santa Claus. I've learned that when you stop believing, you get underwear instead of toys.

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