Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

 This past week, one of my  co-workers asked me when I had first discovered that Santa was not real. Christmas music filtered through the air, Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright. "I don't know," I answered. "Guess I never thought about it." I paused for a moment." Maybe one of my five siblings spilled the beans when I was a toddler," I replied. Truthfully, I cannot imagine a world where Santa did not exist. When I see the whorly beard, fake or not, white hair peeking from beneath his red-and-white cap, I can't help but think that he is real and not just a jolly persona. This world desperately needs the wonder, hope and generosity that surrounds his name. And the child-like innocence that causes grown men to dress up in red suits, and children to send letters to the North Pole. To quote Francis Pharcellus Church, "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." I don't see Jesus, but I believe he is real. I don't see angels but I trust they are active. I don't see God, but I know he sees me. Maybe this week I will tell my co-workers the truth. And maybe, just maybe, one of them will look at me with bright eyes and agree, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."