How dreary would be the world ...

I bet we all distinctly remember the moment, as children, that we learned there was no Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth fairy, etc. I know I do.

I woke up very early one morning to use the bathroom, only to find out the tooth fairy had not shown up the night before. My mom and uncle were up and I went to them and cried that She didn't come. Did she forget about me?? The horror! I took my teary-eyed self to the bathroom and came out, to find my mom standing in the hallway, in front of my bedroom door. I attempted to round the corner to walk into my room, and my mom stopped me, telling me I had to wait. Well, she wasn't fast enough. I was able to catch a glimpse of my uncle, reaching into his pocket. Oddly enough, when I returned to bed, there was a "present" from Miss Tooth fairy. Hmmm. Being the detective that I am, I put two and two together. I went back to sleep for a bit, deciding to talk to my mom about this later. For the time being, I was still tired and just happy that I had money.

However, the damage had been done. My analytical little mind had already started working, realizing the money had come from them all those times, not the Tooth fairy. And, if there was no Tooth fairy, well, I was willing to bet there was no Easter Bunny or Santa either. So, I confronted my mom. I really don't even recall the conversation we had, figuring it all out on my own was enough for me.

These days, as an adult, I rethink my theories on there being no Santa. Little Virginia O'Hanlon brings back the belief and inspiration each year around Christmas time, all because of her letter to The Sun, back in 1897. So, while we are caught up in the hustle and bustle of "the holiday season," take a moment to remember why we love this time of year.

In honor of the person I miss the most in this world and to quote a phrase I've heard my entire life, "Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus." :

"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 NINETY-FIFTH 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.