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Famed Editorial Reaffirmed the Reality of Santa She was only eight years old, but she was troubled. Cynical young playmates had informed her that Santa Claus really didn't exist. After asking her father's advice, the little girl sat down and wrote a letter that was to immortalize her and the resulting editorial reply. WIIITBY FREE PRESS "CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT", WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17, 1980, PAGE 18 She wrote, "Dear Editor: I arn 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says is there a Santa Claus?" If you see it in The Sun it'g so.' Please tell me the trith which is not con by their little .v t h e i r 1 One can imagine the minds, Virgini busy, tough-minded editor they be men's o reading that letteronedayin are little. In 1897. Perhaps his features universe of oui softened somewhat as he mere insect, an thought back to the time intellect, as con when he had eagerly await- the boundlessw ed a visit from St. Nick. him, as measur That the girlish inquiry telligence capab struck a responsive chord ing the whole o was evident in the answering knowledge. editorial that appeared on Yes, Virginia September 21, 1897 in the Santa Claus. New York Sun.:at Cas Ne York .S.ncertainly as love "Virginia, your little osity and devo friends are wrong. They and you know think that nothing can be abound and give its highest beau Alas! how drear the world if the Santa Claus! Itm dreary as if the Virginias. Therc no childlike fait poetry, no roman tolerable this exi Families Can True Spirit of With increased em- phasis today on gift-giving for the holidays, parents may despair of trying to keep Christmas from becoming more and more commercialized for their children each year. There are many ways, however, of keeping the merchandising aspects of the holidays at a minimum and emphasizing the spirit of Christmas within family celebrations. It takes effort on the part of both parents and youngsters, but it can result in the most meaningful Christmas your family has ever enjoyed. You might begin with the traditional tree: instead of settling for the usual, mprehensible minds. All ia, whether r children's, this great rs man is a ant, in his mpared with world about ed by the in- le of grasp- 'f truth and , there is a le exists as and gener- otion exist, v that they e to your life ty and joy. ry would be re were no would be as re were no e would be h then, no nce to make istence. We Celebrate Christmas should have no enjoyrnent, 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. 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." expensive baubles that have no particular sig- nificance, try creating a tree that truly is a Christ- mas tree. Together with the youngsters, you might design "Chrismons," meaning monograms of Christ. These are such symbols as crosses, doves and fishes. In addition, you can create decorations that take their inspiration from the Bible: a boat re- presenting Noah's Ark, a tablet representing the Ten commandments or lilies to represent the Resurrec- tion, for instance. Any symbol from the Old or New Testament is ap- propriate, as they all are part of salvation histoiy. culminating in the birth and life of Christ. Most churches offer special music programs or community sings before Christmas; make an effort to attend one of these enjoyable events together as a family to help everyone get into the true spirit of the season. You can also decide on a cha- ritable venture as a family project, whether it's mak- ing up a Christmas basket for a family in need, or going to visit elderly neighbors who are without family. Probably gift-giving is the most difficult aspect of the holidays when it cornes to keeping the true Christ- mas spirit. Remind your children (and yourself) that the reason we ex- change gifts at this time of year is to commemorate the gifts brought to the In- fant Jesus by the Wise Men. Another "busy" activ- ity of the holiday season that often is rendered meaningless is the ex- changing of cards. With the wide selection of name imprinted cards available, sending cards is becoming more and more imperson- al. One way to get back to the original intent of greeting cards-a personal message of good wishes for the holidays-is to make your own! This can be a fun project for the whole family. Of course, no Christmas can be considered truly kept without attending church services on Christ- mas Eve or Christmas morning. Worship as a family, brought more closely together by ob- serving the birth of the Savior in a spirit of joy and lov-e for one another. 1 lit