"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.
I love this article, a letter to a little 8 year old girl Virginia, asking about Santa, this was published in The Sun in 1897. I have never felt the need to tell my children the "truth", I don't feel Santa is a lie, nor want them to ever think that we have lied to them about Santa, he is the hope, joy, and fun of Christmas. Sure I have a 12 year old who has for a while questioned, and yes it saddens me to see my children grow up and loose their innocence, but what is the fun of telling your kids.. there is no Santa.. At our house we believe.. we all do, somewhere deep down I know they are starting to realize that a man in a red suit may not actually come down the chimney.. however he is real.. real in our hearts and minds as we celebrate this special season. We rejoice in Christs birth, we rejoice in our many blessing we receive, we rejoice in gift giving, and we carry in our hearts the joy of Santa. He makes a few wishes come true, and we all become little children on Christmas morning, as we excitedly find that Santa did come visit!
"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.
I love this article, a letter to a little 8 year old girl Virginia, asking about Santa, this was published in The Sun in 1897. I have never felt the need to tell my children the "truth", I don't feel Santa is a lie, nor want them to ever think that we have lied to them about Santa, he is the hope, joy, and fun of Christmas. Sure I have a 12 year old who has for a while questioned, and yes it saddens me to see my children grow up and loose their innocence, but what is the fun of telling your kids.. there is no Santa.. At our house we believe.. we all do, somewhere deep down I know they are starting to realize that a man in a red suit may not actually come down the chimney.. however he is real.. real in our hearts and minds as we celebrate this special season. We rejoice in Christs birth, we rejoice in our many blessing we receive, we rejoice in gift giving, and we carry in our hearts the joy of Santa. He makes a few wishes come true, and we all become little children on Christmas morning, as we excitedly find that Santa did come visit!
So if you ask my family, yes we believe in Santa!!!
4 comments:
I love this post. We too BELIEVE! I hope that I can remember this post when my kids begin to question.
I believe! You should go here for Addison and Reagan....and yes there is even a spot to click on for your teenager!
http://portablenorthpole.tv/
The older kids technically "know" but as long as they believe then Santa visits. That's what I was told by my parents when I was younger too and I still get a gift in my stocking. :)
Compelling. But Thpppp anyway. :)
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