Dec 242024
 

Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps

The Editorial

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 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.

Nov 162024
 
The Holidays are coming, and Santa is firing up his ham radio! Santa Net is back on 3.916 MHz for the 19th year! Starting Friday, November 29th, good girls and boys can talk to Santa Claus, via amateur radio, nightly starting at 7:00 PM (Central). The Santa Net will run every night through Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024.
Pete Thomson (KE5GGY), of The 3916 Nets, commented on The Santa Net. He said, “Santa Net and Christmastime is our favorite time of the year on 3916. The band is quiet and we love connecting kids to Santa at the North Pole!”
Youngsters can talk to “Santa at The North Pole” via strategically placed operators (Santa Net Relay Stations) who relay the voice of Santa. Thomson credited the dedication of 3916 net members as the reason for the net’s growth and longevity. He said, “What started with several children talking to Santa on 3916 back in 2005 has truly blossomed into an amazing group effort. Santa Net is only possible because of the net members who volunteer their time and talents as relay stations and in other support roles.”
In addition to connecting kids with Santa, Thomson said that Santa Net also brings young people into amateur radio. He added, “Santa Net is often the first time many of these kids experience the magic of amateur radio. Every year we hear from parents and sometimes even the kids who go onto get their amateur license after taking part in Santa Net.”
Prior to each night’s Santa Net, pre-net check-ins can be made at https://www.cqsanta.com/ Third party rules and regulations apply.
The Santa Net is presented by The 3916 Nets. The Rag Chew Crew, The Tailgaters, 3916 Trivia and The Freewheelers are all amateur radio nets that meet on 3.916 MHz nightly. For more information on The 3916 Nets, go to http://www.3916nets.com For more information on The Santa Net go to https://www.cqsanta.com/or email KE5GGY at Gmail dot com.
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