Do You Believe In Santa Claus?

My answer is yes. And it’s because of a story my dad shared with me when I was younger.

I remember kids at school talking about Santa and questioning whether or not he was real.

I was upset and I don’t know how it happened, but my dad must have asked me why, and when I told him, he showed me a book.

It was “Yes, Virginia – there is a Santa Claus” and to this day I will always remember the words of that letter. It has kept me believing to this day.

Yesterday, I got the chance to see “Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus” at the Victoria Playhouse, in Petrolia, put on by The Petrolia Community Theatre. It was so well done! I wasn’t sure what to expect, how they were going to turn a newspaper column into a full play, but they did an outstanding job!

Congratulations to the cast and crew on an exceptional show! I admit, by the time it wrapped up, and the letter was read, I got teary-eyed as I remembered reading it for the first time as a little girl, hoping for a positive answer. I will always think of my dad when I hear that story.

If you’re wondering how it started – “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” is a line from an editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church from The Sun newspaper. It was written in response to a letter by eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon asking whether Santa Claus was real. The editorial is widely reprinted in the United States during the holiday season, and is the most reprinted newspaper editorial in the English language. It has been translated into around 20 languages and adapted as television specials, a film, a musical, and a cantata.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan