by Jennifer
Nicholson Rowan Public Library
This is my
favorite time of year, with decorations, peppermint and cinnamon filling the
air, music, and especially all the lights.
This is also, to many a stressful time of year, many will have simple
worries of making sure they have enough gifts, to cleaning the house before guests
arrive. Yet, many will also have the
worry of no gifts, and many are struggling to stay warm and feed this holiday
season.
As
many worry and stress this holiday season, I am always reminded of my favorite
holiday story. This story is based on
real life events, starts with a very inquisitive 8-year-old girl, Virginia
O’Hanlon, who in 1897 wrote a very special letter to The New York Sun
newspaper. Her letter starts-
“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?”
While the response to Virginia, by
writer Francis Pharcellus Church, can be a little long, the response by Mr.
Church is beautifully written.
“Virginia, your little
friends are wrong. They have been affected
by the skepticism of a skeptical age.
They do not believe expect they see… 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…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 lives
forever. A thousand years from now,
Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the
heart of childhood.”
The “Yes,
Virginia: There is a Santa Claus,” story, resonates the heart of this holiday
season, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, the story
carries the belief in kindness, hope, love, and joy. This is a story to help teach children the
heart of giving, and general kindness.
In
2009 CBS created an animated version of this story; and thanks to Macy department
store, the story was also part of a commercial.
“Yes, Virginia” has been retold many times, even outliving Virginia, who
passed in 1971.
As
families and friends come together this season, please come to the library to
check out the dvd of the animated story, but also know we have many other books
that help teach kindness, and generosity.
How Full is your Bucket? For kids- by
Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer, teaches children that everyone has an invisible
bucket. When we do great things for
others through kindness and helpfulness, we fill each other’s buckets. When we say or do negative things to others,
we help empty each other’s buckets. It
is a simple book that explains that kindness isn’t just saying nice things, but
can also be through our actions.
Giving Thanks: more than 100 ways to say
thank you- illustrated by Ellen Surrey, is a new book that shows children
how to show thankfulness of others through giving and actions.
While
this is a simple example of books to teach children kindness and heart, there
are many more at you local library.
Please check out our catalog and our website at rowanpubliclibrary.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment