Remember the first time some big kid told you Santa wasn't real? For some children that knowledge is earth-shattering.
For others, they hold on to the dream, looking for reasons to hold on to the magic and maybe delay growing up for just one more Christmas.
And imagine that same child-year after year he has spent hours composing the perfect letter to Santa.
Maybe including his best piece of crayon artwork for Mrs.
Claus' refrigerator.
But this year, something's different.
This year, a few days after he mails his letter to Santa, he gets a letter FROM Santa.
He KNEW that fifth-grader had it wrong.
Here's the proof.
Santa is real.
And so the magic of believing lasts for one more Christmas.
And years later, he won't remember the electronic gadget that broke before New Years'.
Or the video game that got "boring" as soon as he conquered all the levels.
But he'll remember the Year I Got a Letter from Santa Claus.
And it's the little things that add up to create the Christmas memories of a lifetime.
Learning parts for the Christmas program at Sunday school.
Baking cookies for the neighbors.
Christmas music.
The love of family and friends.
And the years we believed in Santa Claus.
When all we had to do was "be good".
When our crazy siblings all stopped arguing for one day of Christmas dinner, fun and games.
It isn't always easy to do something special for our child.
When they're toddlers, we buy the brightest, most fascinating educational toy only to watch them spend all day Christmas playing with the box.
For middle-schoolers we try to fulfill their dream with the latest game or gadget and never know if it's the right thing or not, because they hardly speak to us anymore.
If we're lucky we catch the Facebook post where they tell their best friend about the cool game they got for Christmas.
But there are a few years there where every Christmas is magic, every package is the best present ever, and you, too, want to hold on to the magic of believing in that feeling as long as you can.
You want to believe that the fifth-graders have it all wrong, that Santa is real.
You want to see the look on his face as he studies the North Pole postmark.
See the smile as he reads his message from Santa.
Watch as he puts the letter with his other greatest treasures.
And listen as he tells everyone about the letter he got from Santa.
Ordering a letter from Santa is simple.
You only need to provide a little information so the letter can be personalized with his name and a few other details about his life.
And then just sit back and watch what happens when the letter arrives.
Because sometimes the magic that is Christmas lives in the little things, like believing in Santa Claus.
And that does make you smarter than a fifth grader.