Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus . . .

I just love this letter and the response! Every year I look it up to read. I'm not sure how, where, or when I was first made aware of it but it is obvious why this editorial has been reprinted again and again.

More than 100 years ago, an innocent question was asked by a daughter of her father. Unintentionally (and undoubtedly with the intention of not wanting to squash his daughter's belief and childhood innocence) the father passed the responsibilty on to a New York city newspaper, The New York Sun. The published response manifests truths that I believe ring true still today.

This is a great time of year to remember that you do not have to "see it to believe it". The tangibility of  evidence is not required for proof of existence. Believing by definition is "to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so". Let us remind ourselves that each are entitled to our own beliefs and opinions. I challenge you to take into the New Year an open mind and open heart, knowing that others are not necessarily wrong because their opinion, stand, or beliefs differ from your own. Whether we like it or not, the world exists with shades of gray.

I could go on but the letter speaks for itself. Seize the season and opportunity to make a positive impact on someone in your life by sharing this publishers open minded perspective so that they too can remember and pass it on.

"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.

http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

The Top Ten Reasons I Love Living On The Coast

10. Warm weather clothing is less bulky than winter wear, resulting in the ability to store (read "shop") a broader and larger variety of apparel!

9. Biting winds, icy rains, frigid temperatures, cold air, frozen pipes and the slight possibility of snow are typically limited to a less than four month time span. (Thank goodness!)

8. Small towns represent local business owners, personal attention, a friendly smile, and the extra touch of someone who cares about customer satisfaction.

7. Never a dull moment - boating, sun bathing, swimming, barbecues, golfing, fishing, marathons, parades, picnics, fireworks, festivals, fund raisers, tournaments, parties, outdoor concerts, and of course sun rises and sunsets that literally take your breath away. Yes, I know that these things happen everywhere, but somehow to me they just seem more fun and relaxing beneath the warmth of the coastal sunshine with the added hint of ocean in the air!

6. Wearing flip flops nine months out of the year - which also means more pedicures to maintain the hoofs and show off the oh-so-cute shoes of the season!

5. The quaintness of a close knit community that welcomes strangers and old friends alike.

4. The smell of salt air, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, even the shrill of the hungry seagull (read "the beach" - duh!).


3. Living life surrounded by history - giant sand dunes that continuously move, lighthouses that once warned ships of dangerous shoals, old burial grounds filled with generations of families and heroes, re-enactments of pirate invasions, relics from newly uncovered ship wrecks, celebration of man's first flight, the remnants of what once was which led to what life is now.

2. The Hidden Treasures of Mother Nature: nesting sea turtles, pelicans that hover barely above the water as if by magic, a sandbar covered in sand dollars revealed only at low tide, the unexpected show put on by dolphins at play, wild horses that roam purposefully to remind us of an era past, the unquestionable healing powers of the startling beauty of nature . . .

1. Money can't buy happiness but peace of mind and heart can!

 

To Everything there is a Season . . .

And a time to every purpose under the heaven . . .
Ecclesiastes 3

Christmas of course is most easily recongized as a season of forgiveness, love, charity, and good will among men. What can you do this season to make a difference in the life of a stranger?

I am organizing a blood drive for the company that I spend my mornings working for. If you happen to be in downtown Beaufort, NC on December 23rd from 12pm to 6pm, come see me at Ann Street Methodist Church and roll up your sleeve. Did you know that one pint of blood can save up to three lives? Giving blood is a fast, easy, FREE, and amazing way to give to someone who truly is in need. I imagine that there are very few of us who have not known at least one person in our lives that at some point was in need of a blood transfusion. Right? So stop being squeamish, and if you aren't near Beaufort, go find a place near you to make your donation. Give Blood and Give Life!