Dear Editor,
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon, 115 West Ninety-Fifth Street
This letter, written in 1897 to The New York Sun, prompted an answer from Editor Francis P. Church. It was titled "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," and it became one of the most famous editorials ever.
Church assured Virginia there is, indeed, a Santa Claus. As proof, he pointed to all of the wonderful traits that humans can have, and to the beauty we enjoy in our lives.
The editorial was reprinted each year until The Sun went out of business in the 1940s. This inevitable question and Church's inspired answer are reprinted in many papers and journals each holiday season, despite The New York Sun's demise.
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Fancy paper, ribbons to come
In our Tucson home, the trees are decorated and lit, and the walkways have modest decorations. Our house is quite long, so Mom and I have identical trees in the windows of our separate living quarters.
Closets are filled with gifts awaiting fancy paper and ribbons, and we are both anticipating the arrival of our California family members, who will share the festivities.
We have experienced one minor miracle already. Last year, I wrote about my holiday sadness at having lost my beautiful cat, Mandy. I later wrote about my vet's gift of 6-toed Katie, the feline genius with a penchant for opening every drawer in the house. I have also mentioned her clumsiness.
Those "thumbs" appear to have a double purpose. Six-toed cats don't step over objects like normal felines — they either step on them or just shove them out of the way.
Well, Katie took a look at the tree, jumped to the window sill behind it, and gave it a cheek rub (a cat kiss). She has left it completely alone, except to admire it when the lights are on. It's Katie's first tree, and she loves it.
Mom's miniature terrier is a different matter. We both like to put stuffed animals around our trees. Actually, Daisy likes anything stuffed. To her, stuffed articles are meant to decorate the middle of the floor, or become unstuffed.
So I decided to go slowly. I put a huge (much bigger than Daisy), fuzzy polar bear on a chair near my tree. But every time Daisy has been in my part of the house, the bear ends up face-down on the floor with Daisy close by, admiring her work.
Daisy believes she is a decorator. We hate to tell her about her rotten taste.
For many of us, this time of year is stressful. I have learned to shop early, and mostly from home. Catalogs and the computer are great helps. I still wake up in the middle of the night and think about cooking, though; I worry that not everyone will be content. (Gee, I'd be content if someone were worrying about my comfort and full tummy!)
As always, when I sit down to the Christmas feast, I will think about those who are no longer with us — people and my dear other animal friends. I give each one a blessing and thanks for their contributions to my life. It would have been colorless without them all.
My father is probably first in my thoughts, then my two grandfathers.
Got mail her whole life
Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas died in 1971 at 81 in a nursing home in New York. She had been an educator for nearly 50 years. She received mail about that famous letter her entire life and answered every one, attaching a copy of the original editorial to each reply.
I would probably answer a bit differently in this century to Virginia's innocent letter. I would tell her that there really isn't a Santa Claus. St. Nicholas, after whom Santa was fashioned, resides in the hearts of the good everywhere. The Virginias and all of this magnificent planet's glory are the true presents under the tree.
On the Web
Visit www.newseum.org/ yesvirginia to read Francis Church's editorial in full, and see a clipping of the news page.
