In 1897, Dr. Philip O’Hanlon, a coroner’s assistant on Manhattan’s Higher West Aspect, was requested by his then eight-year-old daughter, Virginia, whether or not Santa Claus actually existed. He instructed that she write The Solar, then a distinguished New York Metropolis newspaper, as a result of “If you happen to see it in The Solar, it’s so.”
One of many paper’s editors, Francis Pharcellus Church, replied in an editorial titled “Is There a Santa Claus?” Greater than a century later it’s the most reprinted editorial in any newspaper within the English language. Here’s a style of what he wrote:
Sure, VIRGINIA, there’s a Santa Claus. He exists as definitely as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you recognize that they abound and provides to your life its highest magnificence and pleasure. Alas! how dreary can be the world if there have been no Santa Claus. It will be as dreary as if there have been no VIRGINIAS. There can be no childlike religion then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We shouldn’t have any enjoyment, besides in sense and sight. The everlasting mild with which childhood fills the world can be extinguished….
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives eternally. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten occasions ten thousand years from now, he’ll proceed to make glad the center of childhood.
If given the possibility, I might have answered the identical, however with even extra specificity.
Quite a lot of dad and mom ponder whether to move on the Santa story and all its accompanying traditions. Significantly those that fear that in the event that they inform their youngsters about Santa and ultimately must let their youngsters in on the key, that they’ll undermine their baby’s belief in different issues they’ve been advised are true.
Just like the existence of God.
My spouse and I advised our youngsters about Santa and embraced the custom absolutely in our residence. However – and this is essential – we made positive we advised them the actual story about Santa, which many individuals don’t do.
On the entrance finish, earlier than the massive reveal, we made it clear that Santa did what he did out of affection for Jesus and to honor His birthday. And on the time of the massive reveal, we advised them the “secret” in mild of the fuller story of Santa and his love for Jesus—all rooted in historical past and truth.
There was no existential non secular disaster. If something, it resulted in deeper religion. They found there actually was a Santa Claus who actually did give items at Christmas, and that what dad and mom did was in reminiscence of Santa to maintain his spirit and coronary heart for Christ and for kids alive.
St. Nicholas was an actual historic determine who lived in Turkey and died across the 12 months 350. He was a really lively chief within the church and was a part of the nice Council of Nicaea in 325, which was some of the vital Christian councils in all of historical past.
Nicholas was recognized for holiness and for his ardour for Christ. He was really tortured and imprisoned for his religion below the Emperor Diocletian. He gave virtually all of his cash away to the poor, and his love for kids was extremely actual.
One of many tales from his life that we all know concerned three poverty-stricken ladies. In these days, the one manner that ladies might have a future with a husband was if that they had a dowry. A dowry was cash {that a} father might present in order that if any person married his daughter, she might carry cash to the wedding. A dowry-less woman would probably by no means marry and would usually face the worst of conditions as a result of she had no different technique to fend for herself.
This specific father had no dowry, and he was on the brink of flip his three ladies over to prostitution. Nicholas discovered about it, and he went one night time and took three luggage of gold and threw them down into the home via some sort of chimney or opening in the home. He gave one bag of gold for every daughter to function a dowry for them, so that every one three might be married. It was due to this (and lots of different acts of charity towards youngsters) that he really turned the patron saint of kids.
Over time, this led to a practice of kids being given presents in his identify. The issue was that the youngsters had hassle saying his identify as a result of “St. Nicholas” has so many syllables. It quickly turned “Sint Klaes” after which later “Santa Claus” by the Dutch.
Merely put, St. Nicholas was a beautiful Christian man – one of many true heroes of the religion – and all issues “Santa” can and must be deeply non secular in nature. Santa isn’t the issue—it’s how we’ve stripped him of his sainthood, motivation and story that’s.
On the acceptable age, we advised our youngsters the fuller story of St. Nicholas and the way we, as dad and mom, saved it alive due to Santa’s love for Jesus and for kids. We actually have a “Kneeling Santa” figurine as a part of our residence Christmas décor that we’ve owned since earlier than even having youngsters. A “Kneeling Santa” is a figurine of Santa kneeling earlier than the Christ baby within the manger.
It’s very expensive to us.
When Susan and I had been dreaming about having youngsters, whereas I used to be in graduate college, we noticed a restricted version “Kneeling Santa” ceramic in a retailer. We had by no means seen this depiction earlier than, but it surely captured what we wished Christmas to be like with our youngsters in mild of the Santa traditions.
We didn’t have a lot cash, however as quickly as we noticed it we knew we wished to have it for our household. But it was greater than $100! For us, that may as properly have been greater than $10,000. So, we requested the shop supervisor if we might someway put it on layaway. Over the subsequent six months, we made each little fee we might till it was ours.
A few years later – to not point out 4 youngsters and now 16 grandchildren later – our “Kneeling Santa” remains to be a centerpiece in our residence.
Why?
As a result of “Sure, Virginia, there’s one.”
James Emery White
Editor’s Notice
This weblog was first printed in 2020 and has change into an annual custom. We hope you loved it!
Sources
“Sure, Virginia…” editorial from The New York Solar, archived on December 8, 2020, learn on-line.
Picture of the article clipping from The Solar on Wikipedia pictured right here.
