Yes, Virginia, your spirit lives on.
Young students from The Studio School recently wrote their own answers to Virginia O’Hanlon’s famous question to the New York Sun about the existence of Santa Claus.
And their poignant missives were penned in the same 95th Street building — now occupied by the school — that the 8-year-old Virginia lived in when she wrote her iconic Christmas query in 1897.
“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus,” she wrote to the newspaper. “Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”
The response by editor Francis Church — “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” — is the most-read editorial of all time.
The Upper West Side school this month started collecting donations for a scholarship program in Virginia’s name. The fund will go to current or incoming needy students who want to apply to the $20,000-per-year, nonprofit, pre-k-through-8th-grade institution.
As part of the scholarship launch, students answered Virginia’s question in the following uplifting and moving ways:
Mr. Church means that Santa is not flesh, bones and blood, or the guy in a red suit. He is joy, giving, love, peace and happiness. To me, joy is feeling wind in my face; to me, giving is when I am given respect by another person or giving respect to someone else; to me love is being heard and cared for; to me peace is being free to move and breathe; and to me happiness is being close to someone and being able to love them. I hope Santa and Christmas live on forever in the hearts of many people.
Lucia Rogerson, age 9
When I was little I went to Macy’s and sat on Santa’s lap and his beard came off. Then I knew that this wasn’t the real Santa but it didn’t matter to me. I still believed that there was a real Santa somewhere and I knew he’d still come on Christmas Eve. I didn’t have to find the real Santa to believe in him. Now, when he comes at Christmas, he still brings new toys and a feeling of joy about my life. He symbolizes the excitement I feel about life and the magic of things that are not logical. Even when I’m a grownup, I’ll know that Santa is real because of the feeling of joy I get at Christmas time. I don’t have to see him for him to be real in my heart.
Sydney Coddington, age 10
If you can’t see something, it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Our feelings are real but can’t be touched, heard, smelled, tasted or seen. There is no passion if there is no feeling. There is no regret or jealousy if there is no feeling. The sources of our feelings are our imaginations and our hearts. That’s why I know there is a Santa Claus. The spirit of Santa Claus lives in our hearts and our imaginations. I think this is true for children of all ages. Virginia, don’t believe what people say. Believe what’s in your mind and in your heart.
Merry Christmas, Brendan Lipford, age 14
Eventually, we reach an age where we try to find explanations for everything. We lose the excitement in wonder and magic, and become more and more skeptical. Some people, like your friends, stop believing in Santa, but don’t let them convince you.
I believe that the best things in the world are those that you can’t see and that life would be very boring if there were no imagination, hope or belief in them. You couldn’t play, there would be no books, no toys or any games! We need imagination, hope and belief for all of those things to exist. There are many things in science that you can’t see, either. You can’t see germs, air, or gravity, but you know that they’re there. Well, it’s the same with Santa. You may not have seen him, but that’s no reason not to believe in him.
Your friend, Samuel Tarpley, age 11
In this day and age it is very difficult to know what to believe in. If everyone is telling you that there is no Santa Claus, you may feel pressured to agree with them. Virginia, don’t go along with everyone else. Have your own opinions and beliefs! I believe that there is a Santa Claus, not because someone has told me to, but because I am a believer in things unseen. I believe in Santa Claus and mythical creatures and I am not ashamed of that. If you only believe what you see, then you are missing a whole world out there full of wonderful, mystical mysteries. Whether it is looking up at the sky and seeing a new shape in the clouds or taking an empty space in your mind and seeing a close friend, even Santa Claus.
Never stop believing in Santa Claus, Virginia, because if you do, you will stop seeing the magic in this world. Grownups have become skeptical and are missing all of the wonderful unseen things in this world. Virginia, there is a Santa Claus — I see him in my mind and believe in him in my heart.
Much love from your BIG friend, Leila Jacobson, age 13
We are much too dependent on what we can see, leaving the unseen less accessible to us. Why and how do we believe in love? Can love be seen? Love in the very essence of the word; I don’t know about you but I don’t see it. I feel the effects of love, like I feel the effects of Santa, however I don’t need to see them to believe love is there. If I didn’t trust enough to believe that love was there, an intangible, invisible connection, I would be terribly sad and alone. And that is what I think Mr. Church is saying. We must trust what we cannot see and put our faith in the unknown. If we abandon what is unknown to our senses, how can we truly know anything? And so, I think Mr. Church’s letter is important for everyone to read, so we don’t forget what we don’t see.
Jenan Jacobson, age 13