Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa, no matter what your friends on AOL say

There's no more powerful magic than that. Believe me, there is a Santa looking out for you.

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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa, no matter what your friends on AOL say

Dec. 25 , 2000

By Gene Wolf
Copyright ©2001 Gene Wolf

I am 8 years old. Some of my friends on AOL say there is no Santa Claus. My day-care teacher says, "If the guys from Random Access say it's so, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? -- Virginia H.

Virginia,

   How can I answer your question? There are some people who call themselves Santa Claus and there are some people who have changed their names to Santa Claus. But are they really Santa Claus? I think not.
   What is it about Santa Claus that we all fall in love with? It's the magic, of course. He has the ability to know all of our wishes, to grant them if we are good and to do all of it in a single night of the year.
   We also know that Santa Claus toils all year long to make sure he has enough of everything to fulfill the wishes of all boys and girls. Santa, with the help of his elves, work, without pay, and without thanks, to make sure that all deserving boys and girls have their wishes fulfilled.
   To my mind, that sounds a great deal like a mom and a dad. You need clothes, you want to go to a party, you want a car, you need a college education. Who provides those things without recognition? Who do you look to for support when you're having problems? Who puts off things that they want so you can have the things that you need?
   Virginia, we all know that Santa Claus is a Spirit. He's Ageless. When you have children you will be telling them about Santa Claus. When they have children, they will be telling their kids the same thing. We know in our hearts that Santa Claus is not a person like you and I. We know that Santa is not bound by the constraints of time. He does not get old, he does not get sick, he's always available, and he always pulls through for us even in the worst of times. This is why we always question whether he exists. He's not exactly like us, with all of our frailties.
   Virginia, never ever doubt that there is a Santa Claus. He definitely does exist. He exists in our hearts and our minds. He makes us look forward to the dead of winter. He encourages us, all year long, to be the absolute best that we can be. Even though we don't like to think it at times, in many ways, Santa is very much like our parents.
   He does exist, he will always exist, and you should never doubt the love that Santa has for every girl and boy. He works all year long to try to fulfill your dreams. There's no more powerful magic than that. Believe me, there is a Santa looking out for you.

As Always,
Gene Wolf

(Gene Wolf, longtime computer columnist for the Syracuse Newspapers, is cohost of the Random Access radio show and the Mac expert on Time Warner Television's Point 'n' Click show.)