Yes, Virginia

Every year I repost this letter, which ran in the New York Sun in 1897. It’s easy to forget all of the good in the world when we’re surrounded by skepticism, negativity and sadness. But this beautiful response always reminds me that there is so much more good than bad, so much more love than hate. All you need is the ability to open your eyes and see the everyday magic at work in our lives. 

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

The Response: 

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which…