Here in Rancho Santa Fe, we don't get even a single youngster dressed as angel, devil, Darth Vadar or Aladdin .ringing our doorbell. And, frankly, I miss being jostled into the holiday spirit. I hate being left out of the spooky traditions. There are no leftover Snickers or candy corn triangles that allow me to indulge without guilt. In many ways our family thought Halloween even more fun than Christmas; we started planning for costumes and parties back in September - often on the way home after the first day back at school. Halloween is ghoulish and definitely foolish; a wonderful fantasy event that kicks off a holiday season designed primarily to please the children.

Yet Halloween and Thanksgiving; and even Christmas and Chanukah; provide a wonderful outlet for the child within all of us. To fully enjoy these festive 10 weeks or so, we must be willing to set aside logic, good taste, and even some worthy values and principles; it's rather like the attitude to take when going to Las Vegas or Disneyland. Real-world values just get in the way; these never- never lands turn the real world upside down. I say they are good for us.

As you see, I've been thinking about the importance of using the holiday season to rediscover the flippant child within. I believe we can do that even as we promote strong quality values for our own children and work to make this earth a better place for them. In my life, the giggle is often more valuable than logic.

Even my quotes in this issue of Simon Says are dedicated to children and the celebration of that child-like spirit we must treasure within ourselves. And in some cases you will be able to see how the wisdom applies to managers, leaders and the people they influence.

Quotes you might find worthy of consideration...

"Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give."
- U.N. Declaration

"My mother loved children - she would have given anything if I had been one."
- Groucho Marx

"The fault we find most difficult to lose as an adult is the one we were most punished for as a child."
- Arynne Simon

"Before I became a father I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories."
- John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647-1680)

"As the twig is bent the tree inclines."
- Virgil (70-19 B.C.)

"Likely as not, the child you can do the least with will do the most to make you proud."
- Mignon McLaughlin

"Success is not about money - it's about how wonderful a human being your child has become."
- Arynne Simon

A suggestion:
By example, teach your children; and those you lead; the difference between the words, "I'm sorry" and "I'm wrong." When you say "I'm wrong," it means that you've thought something over and concluded that what you did or said was not okay. Merely saying "I'm sorry" is a way of squirming rapidly past the real issue. This is not a small point because using these words accurately can make a big difference in your relationships. People with courage have the strength to say, "I was wrong." Then, if someone was hurt, you can choose to express your sorrow but only after saying, "I was wrong."

In the words of author Eric Segal, "If you really love someone, you never have to say you're sorry." But you do have to admit it when you're wrong!