I have always been a sucker for the “Yes Virginia”
essay. They play it over the radio in my hometown on Christmas Eve and by the
time the announcer’s voice boldly states “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 always have tears in my eyes.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should
probably consider coming out from under that rock, but I will explain anyway.
In 1897, an eight year old girl named Virginia O’Hanlon wrote to the editor of
the New York Sun asking whether
or not Santa Claus was real. Her logic was that the Sun knew everything, so if
they said Santa was real it must be true. Faced with this dilemma, Francis P.
Church wrote a beautiful, poetic response that sentimentalists like me still
read to this day.
So what to do if you’ve got your own Virginia
this Christmas season? No need to write to the Times. Your little doubter can
just log on and chat directly with the man in red because Santa has recently set up his own website.
CaféMom’s Entertainment Buzz reports that kids can now chat
with Santa via instant message by going to thisisSanta.com. The site was
created by a company called Virsona. CafeMom reports, “The company creates
online virtual personas that ‘come to life’ by entering an archive of memories,
events and information that teach the virtual character to respond to
questions." Even if your kids are die-hard Santa believers, they will
probably just like telling him what they want for Christmas!
I tested out the site and it is pretty cool, although some of Santa's responses felt a little stiff ("I am looking forward to Christmas very much") and he did misinterpret a few of my questions (he told me he got my letter when I asked if he got me a present). Older kids might be suspicious of some of these glitches, but it still feels pretty magical. Just be sure to help guide the questions.
If you're in the mood for some more old fashioned
Christmas spirit, howevwer, you can click on the link to read "Yes, Virginia."
- Lindsay Armstrong
(Photo taken from www.post-gazette.com)
