At my last job, our office was on the second floor of a two-story building. The office was on top, and below us was a retail bridal shop. One day, one of the ladies working downstairs came up to talk to us about something. At some point, she asked us, "Have you guys heard the ghost yet?"

What ghost, we all asked, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, there's a ghost up here. The people who occupied this space before you used to refuse to go in that back room you have, because they got chills and heard the ghost making a ruckus."

If you don't believe in ghosts, an interesting question emerges: where did this ghost come from?

Coca-Cola might have invented Santa Claus as we know him today, but he was born of something deeper than the need for a corporate image. He filled a need in the era in which he promulgated; he seems to come from the same place that gives us most urban legends. It's intangible, and it's hidden, but it's there, just beneath the surface.

The more interesting part is that Santa has survived for decades because of parents who perpetuate the story...makes it sounds like a conspiracy theory, doesn't it?

Oh, and I'm not saying Santa isn't real. He is. If you see him tonight, offer a fist-bump for me.