| Author | Message | ||
     Reindog |
The truth about Santa Claus By Union-Tribune Editorial Board Saturday, December 25, 2010 at midnight In 1897, a little girl in New York City wrote a letter to the editor of The Sun, a prominent newspaper at the time. The girl’s letter, and The Sun’s response, are now part of Christmas lore. We reprint them both below. 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 95TH 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. | ||
| Reindog |
Bump. Well, at least I liked it.  | ||
| Ridenusa4l |
i think its awesome and i couldnt agree more with it...just because we cant see it doesnt mean its not there always gotta keep an open mind... Jake | ||
| Slaughter |
Santa Claus and the let-down is a child's first familiarity with how adults present faith to them. Santa is "real" - every child getting gifts sees this as true... ... but then ... questions from friends, rumors of Santa possibly being fake and then eventually the parents have to own up to the con game. Rembering a child's question from elementary school: "what about Jesus then?" It is good that kids are forced to learn at a young age that they cannot take things at face value - that it is worth asking questions. In the eyes of romantic adults "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus" but eventually kids lose their naievete and adults their credibility. | ||
| Vampress |
He is too real!!!!  I see'd him. | ||
| Reindog |
Slaughter Grinch....boo....go back to Halloween you old ghost. | ||
| Reindog |
"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". I am a Man of Science AND Faith and any contradictions thereof simply add to the beauty of our Unknowable Universe. Heisenberg already discovered that there was stuff we ain't gonna know and can't know. So it goes with the calcified Brain and Veins of those who are Santa Deniers. Old Ghost Indeed...hurrumph....The youngest child sometimes displays more knowledge and wisdom because they CAN see things that you no longer can. Merry Day After Christmas. Laurie and I are off to Tucson for a few days. | ||
| Gregtonn |
At the the time Virginia wrote that letter a modern jet airliner would have been deemed possible only in the deranged mind of a lunatic. "The more you know the more you know that you don't know."_Greg Tonn G | ||
| Slaughter |
Awww heck Tom - we leave PHX today after 4 full days of gluttony and greed in support of this holiday... and yes, I AM Cynical. All the more reason that the ONLY TIME I see TV is in a hotel or at friends' places. Santa is simply an excuse to squander resources. "He" is NOT the reason or origin of this or any Christmas. | ||
| Reindog |
Hi Steve, You are truly blind......but so am I. What got this thread started in the first place is that I work at Broadcom where most of my peers are foreign born. My friend, a Sikh who daily wears turbans and has two lovely daughters (ages 2 and 4) struck up a conversation at lunch the other day. In a nutshell, he told his daughters that there wasn't a Santa Claus. Sadof, a lovely Indian born woman, looked across the table at him and called him a Grinch. I just about fainted. I have shared the Virginia story with him. The Virginia story is SOOOOO close to the concepts of spirituality and rebirth, that I found the parallels ironic. I am now calling him Santa Sikh. With his booming laugh and good nature, its a Win! So.....maybe you can freely admit the following, to paraphrase Heisenberg..."Maybe there is a Santa Claus, we just don't know where and/or when". Merry Two Days After Christmas. PS: Tucson is gloomy this morning but we are headed to the Pima Aircraft Boneyard right now. | ||
| Reindog |
Slaughter, Ask Danielle about what she thinks of Santa Claus and post it here. As Neil Young would say, "This will be inneresting". | ||
| Slaughter |
Tom - that's a good one about Santa Claus... I'll get back to you about it after asking Danielle (and warning her that her response will be made public) Cool idea! |
