"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.
— Courtesy Newseum.org
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I remember years ago, my sister-in-law told me she told her 5 Year old that there was no Santa because she didn't want her to be disappointed Christmas morning when she didn't get everything she asked for. I thought that was the saddest thing I had ever heard. I bought my niece a copy of the above editorial and told her to read it every Christmas Eve.My kids are 21 and 23. They will never hear me say there is no Santa!!!!!
I remember years ago, my sister-in-law told me she told her 5 Year old that there was no Santa because she didn't want her to be disappointed Christmas morning when she didn't get everything she asked for. I thought that was the saddest thing I had ever heard. I bought my niece a copy of the above editorial and told her to read it every Christmas Eve.My kids are 21 and 23. They will never hear me say there is no Santa!!!!!
It's all in the heart folks!
Have a Merry Christmas. I hope Santa is good to you all this year.
And remember, if you didn't get all that you asked for this Christmas, it's because Santa is a little hard of hearing and he probably didn't hear everything you said. Explanation courtesy of my Nana, (1903-1961) when her kids asked her why they only got an orange for Christmas.My 7 year old Uncle Paul's response: "God Damn Sonofabitch must have been stone deaf, I didn't get a damn thing I asked for!
TRUE STORY and has been retold by my father every Christmas since!
Have a Blessed Christmas and A Happy Hanukkah
4 comments:
Irene,
Christmas might be bright, but it won't be white. This year my Christmas will be WARM and WET. It is 80 degrees and raining like crazy here in the Mississippi Delta. At least the aligators are happy. Actually, I don't care about the weather as long as I'm with my Jesse, Corey and Miss Zelda.
See you in 2009,
RMB
Dear Eileen....
May your Christmas be as lively and fun as you!
As for the raviolis--you can definitely make them ahead, freeze them and then reheat them in the oven. That's what I do! In fact, thanks for reminding me--I have to grab them out of the freezer!(first I have to go and do the Santa thing--wouldn't want my kids waking up to no presents under the tree!) I do not serve them piping hot--I always serve them at room temp. They go pretty fast so you won't have to worry about them getting cold.
As for kids and Santa...I never truly understood this whole idea that kids have to be told there is no Santa. I just never got it and I never will. Last night, my nephew kept an eye on Santa online to see where he was at--as he inched closer to Pittsburgh and his parents were sitting here drinking, he got a little nervous. Vince told him not to worry--"Santa always loops back"....
Be Merry!
Judi
I couldn't agree more. When my 7 year old daughter started questioning me this year on the authenticity of Mr. Claus, I told her not to listen to those nasty rumors her friends in school are telling her.
I'll be telling her the same thing every year until she's grown up, and then I'll tell it to my grandkids.
Love your blog,
Irishembi
Hope your Christmas was merry and bright.
Santa left a little bit of beard behind on a cup at my place. I am going to use it in a pagan ritual to get him back for getting me crap every single year...
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