OK, now that I've given you a mental image of the Terminator in a Santa Claus hat ("I'll be back ... for the milk and cookies"), let me explain.

As with so many things these days, the North Pole has gone AI. The ever-popular ChatGPT now has a "Santa Mode" for the holidays, allowing it to hold a conversation in Santa's voice. And that's just one of many digital St. Nicks out there. One group's video chats with AI Santa are raising money for diabetes research. Another effort is raising money for ... well, probably themselves, charging $9.95 and up to have Santa call *you*. At this rate, it's probably just a matter of time before we get an AI Karaoke Kringle that sings along with Bruce Springsteen on "Santa Claus is coming to town," with Rudolph on drums. (He really lights up the stage.)

If you're shaking your head, I can't say I blame you. But then, we always seem to be finding new ways to have children connect with the Man in Red. Special mailboxes, mall visits, phone calls, national defense radar screens ...

Wait, what?

Living in Colorado, you may have heard the story by now. But it's still one of my favorite examples of Christmas magic. Especially since it started with a newspaper typo.

You see, the idea of calling Santa isn't a new one. Back in 1955, a Sears ad in a Colorado newspaper included a number that kids could dial to connect straight to the North Pole. Only one problem - they ran the wrong number.

Which meant that the first little boy who called managed to ring the secret hotline at NORAD.

Remember, this was the mid-1950s. Cold War tension was not exactly low, especially at the aerospace command center in Cheyenne Mountain. So when Col. Harry Shoup picked up the phone and heard "Is this Santa Claus?", his first thought was that it was a joke in really poor taste.

His second thought, once he realized what was going on, was to roll with it, assigning a couple of airmen to Santa phone duty. And when one of them jokingly added a drawing of a sleigh with reindeer to the aircraft tracking board on Christmas Ever, Col. Shoup's response was to look at it ... think ... and then call the radio station to report "We have an unidentified flying object ... why, it looks like a sleigh."

NORAD still maintains the "Santa Tracker" to this day, which over the years has added a website and mobile apps. Which just goes to show how far a little kindness and a sense of humor can take you if you let it.

And really, what better time is there to remember that?

We talk about this being a season of love, but we don't really think about what that means. The phrase tends to conjure up images of friends, family, maybe a cheesy Hallmark movie or two. (I hear the small-town guy just might get the big-city girl ... sorry for the spoiler.)

That's good as far as it goes, nothing wrong with it. But love is sneaky. It tends to give you opportunities when you're not looking for them. Moments to lift someone up, help someone out, add a little light to the world.

It's easy to say no. Too easy, really. We're all busy, all distracted, all carrying our own mountain. But when we say yes ... when we light that spark of kindness and caring ... that's when magic can happen.

And sometimes, like a child's call at Cheyenne Mountain, it can spread beyond all expectations.

Whatever else you give this year, give that moment.

In a world of artificial intelligence, that's a genuine Santa Cause.