Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.
“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.”
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? 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. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
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.
Filed under: ACP |
1st!
2nd,Really Nice Dry.
-Matre10
2nd And SANTA IS REAL
lol
Its Christmas Eve.
Okay…? 😆 Merry Christmas ACP Soilders
6th, thats touching to younger cp members too. (;
Merry Christmas ACP xP Nao.. Nice Dryv O:
Thank you Icey.. For pointing out the Obvious :]
Thats from a movie…
from him only from my family
ok who keeps deleting my comment
Wow. That made me stop and think for a long moment. Weather or not Santa is real, Christmas spirit is, and thats what Christmas is about. I stopped believing at only age 6 because my older sister told me there was no such thing. But I think that santa lives on in my heart still after all these years. (6 years, that was half of my life ago)
Thank you.
~psimple
Just because you cant see it doesnt mean its not real.
Hello im back from my trip and SANTA CLAUSE IS REAL and guess what its snowing in TEXAS!!!!!! ON CHRISTMAS EVE!!! Im so excited and now im tracking santa
virginia is stupid no duh theres a santa clause heres proof, he has nothing like my mom, my sister or my dads hand writing O_o take that
That isn’t exactly what he meant by “real”.
well i dont believe in Santa but nice post
santas real but he died a while back St.Nicholas a priest who gave out presents of money and other stuff to good kids and none for bad so hes a real person but that hole delivering presents is a load what about us muslims jews and what ever kwanza people are
ur 12?
well i think santa is real. but i dont think he can make
it in a flying slay all over the world in one night.
so i think he just makes the toys.
nice acp
Have you ever seen a trillion dollars? Nope. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not real.
I was kind of doubting, but after reading this, not anymore.
I believe in santa
Oh yeah, and to everyone who says that Santa makes the toys… well that’s not true. I mean if you bought an iPhone for your birthday, that happened to be in February or any other month except for December, would it be any different to the one you would buy at Christmas?
woah.. who edited my comment?
And who didn’t approve my comment?
Hmm Santa is a Saint and you know he has magical powers tht can make reindeers fly to the sky and stop all clocks to finish giving gifts to good children and poor children tht their parents don’t have the money to buy them presents.So its either his real or fake.
saw, someone edited your comment obviously O.O and i dont believe in santa…