Yes, Virginia; Yes, Liuda, Believe in Santa

T’is the season … so when I read stories about naughty or nice kids writing to Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Kris Kringel or Sviatyi Mykolay, I think about Virginia and other boys and girls who hope and pray for extraordinary gifts.

You remember the factual Christmas story of eight-year-old Virginia who was caught in a quandary about whether or not Santa Claus exists. So, what did the youngster do? She did what any other young American girl would do. She wrote to the editor of her local newspaper for confirmation.

She informed the editor that her playmates have confused her by telling her that he doesn’t exist. However, the wise editor set her straight.

Francis P. Church, an editor of The Sun, wrote an answer to Virginia that was printed in the newspaper on September 21, 1897.

“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,” Church elaborated. “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.”

I was inspired to write about this by a kindred spirit who posted on LinkedIn a Ukrainian child’s letter to Sviatyi Mykolay, requesting an extraordinary gift. Her name is Liuda who is also eight years old. She doesn’t live in New York City but rather in a war-ravaged region of Ukraine. Evidently all children around the world live by hope; hope for gifts and for a better tomorrow. This hope is heightened in youngsters in war-torn countries.

Liuda tells Mykolay that she has been a good girl, she helps her mother, she loves to draw and sing.

“Please grant me a new school because the rashists burned down my school. If this can’t be done then please give the children of soldiers a lot of tasty treats,” Liuba innocently implores the heavenly bringer of gifts, concluding “I offer you a talisman against evil.”

Her letter features a picture of her school with the blue and yellow flag on the roof and a joyfully illustrated bomb shelter.

Liuda, your childlike hope for a Mykolay is as sincere as Virginia’s and thank God for that! Your and all Ukrainian children’s belief in Mykolay are justified. Your belief in the beauty, joy, generosity, love, and devotion of Mykolay, as well as his protection of Ukrainian children will certainly help you and your classmates survive the rashists’ destruction of Ukraine and bloodshed of Ukrainians.

This honest conviction will not only assure that your school is rebuilt but that all of Ukraine is restored after the rashists are defeated and expelled.