Santa’s seaside “throne”

overlooks the town of Wildwood, NJ during the holidays of 2019

Dear Agatha:

I’m worried. There’s this rumer going around that

there is no Santa Claus. Its all over the third

grade! My friends think it might be troo. Every 1

from the bay to the beach thinks it might be troo! I

cant even ride my bike (with the pink tassels that

Santa SUPPOSEBLY brought me last year) on the

boardwalk without hearing those awful words. I thought

if I wrote to you at the Sun, you could help me

figyour if out ‘cause you seem to know alot about alot. No Santa Claus? Can this be true?

Cinceerly,

Worried in Wildwood

(My friends call me Veronica)

Dear Worried in Wildwood:

After countless hours on the Internet (who knew it

would take so long?) I have come to one conclusion:

There is a Santa Claus. Have you ever heard of someone

who didn’t exist having 4,220,000 websites devoted to

them? Why, the nice folks at santaclaus.com (serving

all your Santa needs since 1994) would be so upset to

hear this. They devote their happy little lives to

spreading the Santa word. Why, the fat jolly guy’s

even got his own fan club (of which I’m a proud

member).

I understand your concerns. The world is filled with

nonbelievers. Rest assured, there is so much to

believe in! More than little minds can ever imagine.

All people, little and big, fail to understand this

one simple truth: just because we can’t see something

doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

Yes, Veronica, there is a Santa Claus.

Santa Claus can be found in the gentle waves and the

ocean breeze. Santa is sunlight and warmth; he is love

and kindness. He exists in the sunrise over the ocean

and the sunset over the bay. Imagine our world without

these things, without Santa Claus. Why, it would be

impossible without faith. We would find joy only in

what our eyes can see and not in what our hearts can

feel.  The world would have no light if all its souls

were dark.

Imagine not believing in Santa Claus! It’s like saying

there’s no Tooth Fairy and no Easter bunny! Why do we

need proof that these magical beings exist? Can’t we

just be happy that they do? Yes, nobody sees Santa

Claus. Yes, most of our ideas about Santa Claus come

from stories we’ve been told, not events that we’ve

witnessed. Does that mean that there is no Santa

Claus? The things that are the truest in the world are

the things that can’t be seen. It is not possible to

see all of life’s wonders, big and small.

Don’t worry, Veronica, Santa Claus will be around

forever. He will live on, generation after generation,

in the hearts of everyone who believes!

As for Dear Aggie, I’m keeping my Santa fan club

membership (where the only dues are a believing

heart).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!