The Twelve Books of Christmas (at least in our house!) - Book 12

I know ... I'm getting this one in just under the wire! It's the middle of the night, and we're in the midst of packing for a trip we will hopefully be taking tomorrow, provided the road we need to drive on to "... be home for Christmas" stays open amidst a gazillion inches of snow and freezing rain!

I couldn't think of a better book to end the Twelve Books of Christmas with than this one ... "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus". I had never even heard of it until about three weeks ago, when my mother-in-law asked if I'd ever read it. On one of her trips here, she brought me her copy ... purchased in 1972. A beautiful, well-preserved book ... with a timeless message.

Today ... this very book arrived in the mail for me. A gift from my mother-in-law. I don't plan to read it to my kids just yet ... maybe not even next year. But, I think this is the one I'll pull out when they finally look me in the eyes and asked me the question, "Mom ... is Santa real?"

"Yes, Virginia..." centers around a little girl (Virginia ... obviously), who asks that question. The older printing of the book provides a bit more back story than the new printing, explaining that Virginia's dad, upon hearing the question, tells his daughter to ask The New York Sun ... because what they say is always true.

So ... she writes to the editor of the New York Sun.

The treasured, timeless response by Mr. Francis Pharcellus Church, in the year 1897, was eventually turned into book form. And, thank goodness for that ... it is a classic and is as wonderfully relevant today as I'm sure it was back then.

Enjoy ... and blessings to you this Christmas!