‘Yes, Virginia’ Letter Writer Becomes as Immortal as Santa

‘Please tell me the truth,’ she wrote. ‘Is there a Santa Claus?’

AP
Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas decorates her Christmas tree at New York City on December 15, 1951. When she was 8 years old, she wrote a letter to the Sun asking, 'Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?' AP

While others age, Virginia O’Hanlon is forever a little girl thanks to The New York Sun. Her letter asking if there’s a Santa Claus, and the paper’s response, helps each new generation of parents answer childhood’s trickiest question — and encourages everyone to hold onto the magic of Christmas.

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