"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" With a 21st Century Twist

Because I'm a newsie, my all time favorite Christmas story is, of course,"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." For those who don't know the story, in 1897 an eight-year-old girl named Virginia O'Hanlon was conflicted about the existence of Santa Claus. In her search for a truthful answer, she decided to write a letter to a newspaper, The Sun in New York, figuring newspapers know the truth.  Editor Francis Pharcellus Church responded to the inquiry with what has become the legendary letter we know today. To see it in its entirety check out www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/ (which I haven't figured out how to make a direct link, so just copy and paste the link).

That, of course, is not the end of my story. My two children have reached an age where this question has come up more than once. In the banter that has gone back and forth on this issue, my daughter, Kiki, has remained steadfast that Santa exists. She has an answer for every question that might prove that Santa doesn't exist. For instance, she was asked last year (not by me) how Santa can make it to all of the houses in the world in one night. Her answer word-for-word was "Magic, duh!!!" How can you argue with that?

This year, the "Virginia" story came to mind when the Santa discussion came to the forefront again. This time big brother Josh, in taunting Kiki, had said Santa wasn't real. They both turned to me for an answer. I'll just  say I was not as eloquent as Mr. Church or Virgina's dad, for that matter. I did, however, explain to Kiki and Josh that Christmas wasn't really just about Santa. Kiki, however, doesn't settle for anything less than the answer she's looking for. So, the next day I picked both my children up from school. Kiki climbed into the car bursting with excitement. "Mom," she said. "I know Santa is REAL. You know how I know Santa is REAL? I read it on the INTERNET!!!"

So, Virginia has entered the information age. And Kiki? Well, yes, Kiki, there is a Santa Claus.