Is There a Santa Claus?

From all of us at Sunrise Chapel, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you’ve ever had your child ask you the question below, we hope this little true story will help you have a better idea of how to answer such a simple little query from the little ones.

The New York Sun

Virginia O’Hanlon was an eight-year-old little girl living in New York in 1897. One day, she posed the question to her Father, “Daddy, is there really a Santa Claus?”

Not quite certain how to answer his little girl, he suggested that she write the New York Sun as it had always been said, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.”

The New York Sun, September 21, 1897

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

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 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 external 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 you 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 un-seeable in the world.

You 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, 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 lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Allow us to Add

We agree! While the New York Sun answered Virginia’s question so properly, we thought we’d take the time to add a little on how we look at the question, “Is there a Santa Claus?”

We have never seen Santa Claus ourselves, aside from the “Mall-Santas” and Santas on TV. Does that mean he isn’t real? We have never caught him in the act of dropping-off the various presents we received as a child. He was always much too fast for us. Does Santa not bring hope and joy into a child’s heart? Do the children not smile radiantly when they speak of him and when he’s going to visit? Yes, he most assuredly does… so again, there is a Santa!

Here’s this too… we have also never seen God! We’ve never had the pleasure of walking beside Jesus when He was here with us. We never had the privilege of fishing with Jesus and His Disciples on the Sea of Galilee, but we know they did.

We pray and give thanks to God regularly. We always listen to Jesus as He whispers His lessons in our ears. We have been filled with The Holy Spirit when we’ve been troubled, knowing not to fear and understanding we are protected and shielded by the armor of God. If we experience all these things, is God not real also?

As long as there are people, with gorgeous souls, providing gifts for the children who have nothing, we will believe in Santa. When we witness the joy in a child’s heart, with tears in our eyes, we will say, “Yes, Virginia… there is a Santa Claus!”

Also, until the end of days, as long as there is one single soul alive, still willing to give of themselves, expecting nothing in return out of the pure goodness of their heart… willing to clothe and shelter the homeless; feed the hungry and give of what they have to others that don’t, we will say further, “And also, Virginia… there is a God!”

In Conclusion

So, in conclusion today, we would like to leave you with these helpful instructions:

Grown-ups: Listen to the children, understanding and remembering their innocence and know who Santa really is!

Children: Respect your parents, understanding their hardships, but realizing their faith and know God also! For all that believe, some of us call Him God. Other believers may call him The Almighty or Yahweh. There are also other religions that know Him as Allah or Buddha but, at this time of year, the little children know Him as Santa… and He, we can assure you, is VERY real!

May God be with you all and may you truly understand the “reason for the season” this year.Rejoice in our Lord’s birth this day and be “The Santa” He wants us to be by giving fully of yourself to all in need.

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Birthday Jesus!