In Virginia’s Hometown, Santa Lives
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

NORTH CHATHAM – It is a slow, horrifying process to realize Santa Claus is not real. So, people in this quaint little town of 223, along with millions of others around the globe, refuse to accept it.
Their anthem is an editorial written in 1897 by New York Sun editorial writer Francis P. Church in response to a letter by then 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas wondering if Santa Claus in fact exists. The editorial, which contains the famous phrase “Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” won immediate acclaim, and is still considered the most profound evaluation of the spirit of Santa Claus.
Some 35 people gathered Sunday afternoon in North Chatham to honor the woman behind “Virginia” and the spirit captured by Church’s enduring editorial. O’Hanlon Douglas moved in 1959 to the town. As part of the tribute earlier this week, friends and family made a pilgrimage of sorts to her grave, where they sang, appropriately enough, a heartfelt version of “Here comes Santa Claus.”
When asked if she believes in Santa Claus, a lifelong resident of North Chatham, 77-year-old Doris Appel, said, “Of course I do.” She continued, “It is more of a feeling people have for each other. We live in a small town. If someone has a problem, we care enough to make sure you have food, or you have a ride to the doctors, or to the grocery store. I think it is about that we are there for each other.”
A grandson of O’Hanlon Douglas, James Temple, said he and his five sisters get calls every year, some from as far away as Japan. They have made a pact to answer callers’ questions as honestly and forthrightly as they can.
Mr. Temple said unequivocally, “Yes,” when asked if he believes in Santa Claus. “The editorial Mr. Church wrote speaks for itself, and each time I hear it, it just reinforces my belief in Santa Claus.”
He quoted his grandmother, noting her modest nature: “All I did was ask the question, is there really a Santa Clause. I did not do anything special. Of course, Mr. Church’s editorial was so beautiful, everyone remembered his words. It was Mr. Church who did something wonderful.”
Few deny, however, that it was O’Hanlon Douglas who started it all. Strangers visit North Chatham, about 160 miles north of New York City, to leave Santa Claus mementos at his grandmother’s in June, as well as in December, Mr. Temple said. The editorial’s springboard is Christmas, but, to many, its spirit extends beyond any single day.
“I am a kid at heart,” said North Chatham resident Elle Dietemann. “There is magic that exists in the universe. We live in a scientific age where people try to reduce everything to a common denominator. But there is at the core of life which is mystery and I think that is what the Santa Claus story is about.”
During the tribute sponsored by the North Chatham Historical Society, people watched a video of O’Hanlon Douglas reciting the editorial in 1966, when she was 71 years old.
“Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” she read. “He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give your life the highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world be 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.
“No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia nay, 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.”