William James, a true man of science who spent his entire life in the pursuit of truth in its many forms (I had the pleasure of traveling with him and an odd fellow named Agassiz a bit of distance up the Amazon in 1865) published a lecture in 1897 entitled "The Will to Believe."

At the end of the lecture, James asserts that we "be not afraid of life." But moreso, that we "believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact."

I think about that lecture in these days before Christmas. As my little friends ready the reindeer and pack the sleigh, I turn to pursuits that will fortify my soul and strengthen my resolve. Forget about checking some list. I have unionzied workers who have every detail of said list stored in databases that are kept on redundant servers around the globe. No, sometimes it's a simple shot of whiskey. Something... anything to get my fat ass up out of bed and do what I do best for that one day of the year that has so many people desperately in need of me. A need that I likewise need for them to need (that's a lot of needing).

See, belief is a poweful thing. And Christmas? Christmas is like the superbowl of belief systems. The big game. The great day. The leap of faith that has us celebrating the birth of a savior and the arrival of a old fool in a red cap that we hope will maybe leave a little magic behind after the sun has risen and the wrapping paper lies strewn about the family room floor.

The need to believe. James said "your belief will create the fact." And here, in my last entry of the year as I prep for the big dance and then, after the party's over, take a much needed break in a much warmer clime, I'd like for you, my dear friends, to remember this: it's your belief that makes me real.

James, a man of science to the end, had difficulty in reconciling much of his faith with the practical and the pragmatic. Books are filled with his philosophy of faith. And I'm not talking "Sunday gone to meetin'" faith either, folks. For James... for me... and probably even for many of you, the faith at stake here is the faith we have in life itself. That getting up every day is worth the effort. Forget about that one day. Christmas Day. It's easy to live for Christmas Day, when the world's a little lighter and people are a bit more kind to their neighbors. But when it's over, do I go away? Do you? Does life?

That's the reason I remember James and his lecture just a few days before Christmas every year.

Believe. Believe that life -- every precious minute of it -- is worth the pain as well as the joy.

Believe.

Believe in me.

Believe. And you know what? Believe enough, and I'm real.