Winter is definitely here. As I look out my office window, I see snow. Snow on mountains, in yards, and on rooftops. I see the remnants of plowed snow along the curbs. It is unlikely to melt today…the temperature did not rise above freezing.

Inside my office, it is warmer, but not warm enough. My thermometer reads 66 degrees. Lucky for me, I am wearing flannel lined jeans and layers. Thankfully, I also have my imagination and that takes me to warmer places. I am able to create an imaginary environment in which I am warm and comfortable.

The human mind is amazing in that way. We can literally control our environments. We can warm or cool ourselves through concentration and imagery. There are documented cases of people shrinking tumors, creating their own hypnotic anesthesia, and healing illnesses.

Of course, while most children possess amazing imaginative abilities, many of us lose those skills as we grow older. The child who could make a train out of boxes too frequently grows into the adult who sees the boxes as trash to be taken out for garbage pickup.

I’ve seen this happen in relationships as well…the magic, the creativity drains leaving two people sitting across from one another, empty, not knowing what to do.

Christmas is a wonderful time to find wonder, magic, imagination. Buying special gifts, surprising someone with an anonymous treasure, arranging for a special rendezvous with that loved one.

The Christmas song ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ conjures up thoughts of romance and magic. Two people, so enjoying one another’s company that they use the weather as an excuse to stay entwined in one another’s arms. Since it’s cold and there is no heat wave in sight, and since I have used my imagination to keep me warm today, I think I will seek the warmth of the man I love when we get home.