Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
- Notes From The Frontier
- Dec 22
- 2 min read
A newspaper man's 1897 answer to an 8-yr-old
girl asking the truth about Santa becomes
the most reprinted editorial in history.
In 1897, Philip O'Hanlon, a surgeon, was asked by his eight-year-old daughter, Virginia, if Santa Claus existed. Some of her little friends at school had told her that Santa was not real. Virginia's father tried to answer the question but his answer did not satisfy her. She wrote The Sun, one of the most prominent newspapers in New York in 1897. In her letter, she wrote that her dad had told her that if she reads it in The Sun, it is true. So she was deferring to the editor of The Sun for the definitive answer.
The Sun's editor-in-chief, Edward Page Mitchell, gave Virginia's letter to an editor, Franscis Pharcellus Church, to answer. Eventually, her letter was answered by Church, but anomymously. He wrote the brief but brilliant response in a single afternoon and in only 416 words.
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The author was never revealed until after Church's death in 1906. His heart-rending and lovely message would eventually become the most reprinted newspaper editorial in history, famous around the globe and reprinted in newspapers in more than 20 different languages. Here is the actual letter to Virginia. Church's words are true and inspirational as ever. Merry Christmas! And may the spirit of Santa Claus be with you always.
Published first on NotesfromtheFrontier.com and Facebook on December 22, 2025.
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