Yes, Dear Reader, There is a Santa Claus by Victoria Gray

Yes,Dear Reader, There is a Santa Claus

ByVictoria Gray

I indulge in a love affair every year at Christmas time withan older man who has a bit of a weight problem and truly never heard of theAtkins diet, but he’s a flashy dresser with an even flashier means oftransportation. He’s generous, possibly to a fault, and I don’t usually go fora big, ZZ-Top style beard, but he’s the exception. My home is filled withimages of this man – his face is even on my Christmas ornaments. My husbanddoesn’t mind my interest. He’s not in the least bit jealous. In fact, my darlinghusband, a man who reminds me more than a little bit of Clark Griswold,searched Ebay to find an old, somewhat cheesy plastic rendering of him that wasfirst crafted in the sixties. So, who is this mystery man?

You guessed it – Santa Claus, that jolly resident of theNorth Pole who now attracts NORAD’s interest every Christmas Eve. Long beforeSanta’s sleigh was tracked on radar, Santa became an indelible part of Americanculture. A century before Macy’s Thanksgiving parade ushered in the Christmasseason, the poem A Visit from SaintNicholas introduced the image of Santa Claus that many Americans cherish.From the young toddler sitting on Santa’s lap to the homeowner competing withhis neighbor to have the grandest light display in the neighborhood, the imageof a jolly old man with a white beard, red suit, and reindeer at the readybrings to mind the joy and warmth of Christmas.

Amazingly, Santa’s image became a vital part of America’sChristmas tradition during the Civil War. Cartoonist Thomas Nast’s portrayal ofSanta on the cover of the January 3, 1863 edition of Harper’s Weekly depictedSanta seated on his sleigh, complete with hat and beard,  presenting gifts to Union soldiers on thebattlefield. Three decades later, an eight-year-old girl, Virginia O’Hanlon,wrote a letter to the New York Sun that spawned one of the most famouseditorials in history, Francis Church’s response. Church, a former Civil Warcorrespondent who’d seen man’s inhumanity to man in vivid terms, responded withthe immortal line, Yes, Virginia, thereis a Santa Claus. His touching, philosophical response viewed the existenceof Santa in terms of love and goodness and giving.

One of my most enduring images of Santa emerged from theclassic movie Miracle on 34^thStreet. The classic film charmed generations. Remade decades later, thepremise was the same – Santa is real, if only in our hearts. What a lovelymessage to remember during the holiday season.

What images bring Christmas to mind most vividly for you? Doesmistletoe bring back memories of a treasured kiss, or would cookies for Santastir memories of Christmas past? What signs of Christmas touch your heart?

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