Yes Virginia, There IS a Santa Claus

'Dear Editor: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, If you see it in The Sun it's so.
Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?'

Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety Fifth Street, New York

These are the words of eight year old Virginia O'Hanlon

written to the New York Sun in 1897.

The response by veteran newsman Francis Church,

has become history's most reprinted newspaper

editorial ever written. 

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world 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. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

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.

So the question is...

'Do YOU believe in Santa Claus'???

I know I DO!! ;)

XOXO

vintagesusie

Vintage Christmas Ads Make Me Smile!

Happy Weekend before Christmas Sweet Hearts!

The month of December goes by in a blink for me,

does it seem that way to you too?

This morning I was watching 'Mad Men' on AMC, like I do every

Sunday morning, when I saw this great vintage 50's ad that was put on
Facebook by Retreuxgirl.  I LOVE the look of this ad & the verbage...
'Christmas Morning She'll be Happier With a Hoover'! Really?? :))

These ads look like they could have been created by the

advertising geniuses at 'Sterling Cooper Draper & Pryce'.

Could I possibly want anything more for Christmas then a Hoover??

Oh, I know...a new SCALE! 

What a Beautiful Way to Say Merry Christmas!! ;)

As I searched the Google images for Vintage Christmas Ads,

I had NO idea how popular cigarettes were as a Holiday Gift.

Desi & Lucy like them...

and so does Ronald Reagan! He's sending Chesterfields to all his friends,

because that's the Merriest Christmas any smoker can have!

But do you know what surprised me the most looking

through these vintage Christmas ads???

Santa smokes cigarettes TOO!!! LOL

I knew he smoked a pipe, but seein him toking on a cigarette

just looks a little weird to me.

I bet we all would like some chocolate covered, Peppermint Necco's

in our stockings, & they are STILL only 5 cents!

And who didn't love Wrigley's Spearmint gum growing up? Yummmmy.

But the Mother-lode of Holiday Gifts was ALWAYS...

a Schwinn Bicycle, right!

I got many bicycles for Christmas as a child.

We were never rich, maybe we were even a little on the poor side,

but my Christmas's were ALWAYS filled with Wonder & Delight.

It started with a trike, then moved up to a bike with training wheels,
then a Stingray with a gold, glittered seat & finally to a turquoise beach
cruiser with a little wicker basket attached to the handle bars in High School ...

I was a LUCKY little girl!

Because of this iconic advertising image, I think children around the world

always knew that Santa Claus LOVED Coca Cola...Simply Brilliant!

And isn't sad & poignant, that in every single generation, families were

hoping & praying for their loved ones to return home from the

war to be able to spend Christmas together.

I am SOOOO VERY EXCITED & I Thank GOD, that our service men

& women in Iraq will be HOME for the Holidays!!

The War is Over & the Last American Convoy has left Iraq,

that is most assuredly a Christmas Blessing!!!

So Sweet Friends,

I hope you enjoyed our little holiday trip down memory lane,

I know I did. And I hope some of these vintage ads gave you a smile,

as they did me.

And if you still have any last minute holiday gifts to get for your loved ones,

always remember...

Nothing says Merry Christmas & Hope for a New Year
of Peace & Love, quite like a Daisy...perfect for EVERYONE
on your Christmas List!! LOL

XOXO

vintagesusie