When eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon asked her father the inevitable question of whether or not Santa Claus is real, he told her to ask The Sun. New York Sun writer Francis P. Church answered in the affirmative in an unsigned, but nonetheless famous editorial.
"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."--Francis P. Church, New York Sun, 1897
When eight-year-old Jason asked his mother the same question, Jan Hunt, author of Does the Santa Legend Endanger Trust?, answered in the negative, telling her son that Santa is a myth based on the story of Saint Nicholas. When her son responded with dismay, confusion, and sadness, Jan Hunt regretted telling him that Santa was real in the first place.
Many people applauded Francis Church's choice to keep the magic alive for children. Virginia O'Hanlon's father was apparently content to support whatever answer the New York Sun chose to give his daughter, telling her, "If you see it in The Sun, it must be true."
Jan Hunt wondered whether it is possible to keep the fantasy without the well-meant white lie. Ultimately, she recommended originally telling the Santa story as fiction and keeping it fiction so the deception would never be necessary and the Santa question and resulting disappointment could be avoided.
Beyond a Simple Yes or No Answer
Jan Hunt denied that Santa Claus is a living, physical being who magically delivers gifts to the world's children, as the story goes. Francis Church affirmed that Santa Claus is as real as love and generosity and devotion. If Santa Claus is not the jolly gift-giver of myth, perhaps he can still be the spirit of generosity, a personification rather than a person, an embodiment rather than a body, a parable rather than a fiction.
Parents may choose to support their children's belief in Santa Claus with the body of a jolly old elf or in Santa Claus as the embodiment of the Christmas spirit. Or they may choose to enjoy an entertaining fictional holiday story along with the inspirational historical story of Saint Nick.
Christmas Mythology Beyond Santa Claus
Stories of Santa Claus, the Yule Elf, and Odin, Father Christmas, and other similar figures of Yultide lore around the world feature many parallels that might surprise children.
When a child asks, Is Santa Claus Real?, parents may consider to what question they are answering. Does Santa Claus exist in the real world? No, maybe, probably not? Does he exist in the world of the imagination? Yes! He certainly exists in the stories of people around the world.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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