Is There a Santa Claus?

Holidays and Celebrations

Is there a Santa Claus? Eventually, every child gets old enough to ask this question.

Over a hundred years ago, a young girl named Virginia O'Hanlon sent a letter to a New York City newspaper, asking whether or not there really was a Santa Claus. Virginia's question was answered by an editorial writer named Francis P. Church.

In the last century, Church's editorial ("...Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus...") has been reprinted countless times and has become a firm part of the Christmas mythos.

But was Church's answer really a good one? I think not — so a hundred years after the original answer was published, I wrote my own.

So, is there a Santa Claus? Read the original answer and then compare it to mine.

Read the original answer to the same question (1897)

My answer to the same question (1997)