Christmas spirit lives

There’s a reason the editorial from the Sept. 21, 1897, edition of the New York Sun is the most reprinted in history.

Headlined, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” the work penned by Francis Pharcellus Church in response to 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s questioning letter is a heartfelt and triumphant testament to the spirit of the season.

More than a century later, we’re pleased to reaffirm that yes, there still is a Santa Claus. As long as the holiday season is embraced as a time for peace, family and goodwill, the ethic of Santa lives, crossing religious and cultural boundaries. As long as there are those who think of others before themselves and find fulfillment in giving more than receiving there will always be a Santa Claus.

He lives here in the Mat-Su Valley as well. We find him in the efforts of volunteers for Mat-Su Special Santa, Santa Cop and Heroes and anyone else who went out of his or her way to help a neighbor.

The spirit of the season also is strong at the Christmas Friendship Dinner, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla. This is the 21st year for the annual holiday gathering and is a wonderful example of how strong the spirit of the season is here in the Valley.

We encourage our neighbors with hungry bodies and spirits to attend and enjoy the Christmas Friendship Dinner.

Had Ms. O’Hanlon been a curious 8-year-old today and sent her letter to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, we would offer her the same reassurance.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

You’ll find him in the smiles of more than 1,000 people at the sports center. You’ll find him accompanying the dozens of volunteers who’ve worked for months to provide the meal and those who are delivering meals to those who are homebound. You’ll find him in area churches and in the excited squeals of children receiving gifts from very Special Santas across the Valley.

In his reply penned more than a hundred years ago, Church told O’Hanlon that, “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.”

This time of year there are two stories that remind us to share, to be kind — to love one another. One is the Christian story of the birth of Christ and the other is the secular story of Santa Claus’ annual global giving spree. Despite their divergent origins, both of these stories challenge us to be good, be kind, to be our best selves — and that’s a notion worth supporting year-round.