At some stage in their lives every parent is faced with the dilemma of dealing with what most children consider to be the central part of Christmas – the gentleman in the red suit and white beard.
Long before they ever learn about the nativity and Baby Jesus, children are aware of Santa Claus and the sheer magic that he brings to children worldwide. Every parent will recall the pure joy and happiness which they saw in their children’s faces on Christmas morning and almost to a person wished that it could have lasted forever.
There comes a time however when somebody, usually a smart alec at school, sows the seeds of doubt and then the questions start. For years elves, gnomes and the North Pole were accepted as facts but then more solid information is required.
Dr Philip O’Hanlon lived on Manhattan’s west side and he faced the problem in 1897 when his eight-year-old daughter, Virginia asked the dreaded question, “Does Santa Claus really exist?” Her friends at school ridiculed the idea and she needed assurance.
If parents are really truthful they will admit that they all kicked for touch when faced with the question and Dr O’Hanlon was no different. He told his daughter that she should write to the New York Sun newspaper and ask them.
“If you see it in ‘The Sun it must be true,” was his reasoning. He was definitely passing the buck but he gave rise to possibly one of the most famous editorials of all time.
Virginia’s letter read: “Dear editor, I am eight-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?”
The letter was given to Francis Church and he wrote an editorial, which is still quoted. It has been used in whole or in part in books, posters, stamps and films. Church wrote about the faith and spirit behind Christmas and Santa Claus.
Some of his comments were:
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist… Alas how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus…
“Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see… No Santa Claus!
“Thank God he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.”
Virginia was satisfied, her friends were wrong and daddy O’Hanlon was spared an unpleasant bout of explanations.
She went on to earn a BA, an MA and Doctorate and worked as a teacher until she retired in 1959. Her great claim to fame was the simple letter which she wrote as an eight-year-old who needed to be convinced that Santa existed.
That editorial, “Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus,” appeared in the New York Sun on September 21, 1897 – 112 years ago this week.