Editor's note: For more than three decades we have shared the following story with readers every Christmas. The words of Francis P. Church will ring true today as they did more than 100 years ago when first written.
In 1897, 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon became worried when her friends told her there was no Santa Claus. Her father advised her to write to the New York Sun to find out the truth, and the reply by Francis P. Church became a classic:
The letter followed Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas throughout her teaching career in the New York City school system and her retirement. She died May 13, 1971, at the age of 81.
Virginia wrote to the Sun:
"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 95th Street
Church's reply, published in the Sun on Sept. 21, 1897, was:
"Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. ..."
For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log in to our electronic edition.