"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" is a line from an

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, such ...

Francis Pharcellus Church Francis Pharcellus Church (February 22, 1839 – April 11, 1906) was an American publisher and editor. Born in Rochester, New York, he graduated from Columbia University and embarked on a career in journalism. With his brother, William Cona ...

titled "Is There a Santa Claus?", which appeared in the New York newspaper '' The Sun'' on September 21, 1897, and became one of the most famous editorials ever published. Written in response to a letter by eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon asking whether

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

was real, the editorial was initially published anonymously and Church's authorship was not disclosed until after his 1906 death. As the editorial became popular over the years, ''The Sun'' began republishing it during the Christmas season, including every year from 1924 to 1950, when the paper ceased publication. "Is There a Santa Claus?" is widely reprinted during the

Christmas and holiday season The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late Novemb ...

and has been cited as the most reprinted newspaper editorial in the English language. It has been translated into around 20 languages and adapted as a film, television presentations, a musical, and a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning o ...

Background

Francis Pharcellus Church

(February 22, 1839April 11, 1906) was an American publisher and editor. He and his brother

William Conant Church William Conant Church (August 11, 1836 – May 23, 1917) was an American journalist and soldier. He was the co-founder and second president of the National Rifle Association. Life and work Church was born in Rochester, New York on August 11, 1 ...

founded and edited several publications: '' The Army and Navy Journal'' in 1863, ''The Galaxy'' (1866), and the ''Internal Revenue Record and Customs Journal'' (1870). Before the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

he had worked in journalism, first at his father's '' New-York Chronicle'' and later at the New York newspaper '' The Sun''. Church left ''The Sun'' in the early 1860s but returned to work there part-time in 1874. After ''The Galaxy'' merged with ''The'' ''Atlantic Monthly'' in 1878 he joined ''The Sun'''s staff full-time as an editor and writer. Church wrote thousands of editorials at the paper,'''' and became known for his writing on religious topics from a secular point of view. After Church's death, his friend J. R. Duryee wrote that Church "by nature and training was reticent about himself, highly sensitive and retiring".

''The Sun''

In 1897, ''The Sun'' was one of the most prominent newspapers in New York City, having been developed by its long-time editor,

Charles Anderson Dana Charles Anderson Dana (August 8, 1819 – October 17, 1897) was an American journalist, author, and senior government official. He was a top aide to Horace Greeley as the managing editor of the powerful Republican newspaper '' New-York Tribun ...

, over the previous thirty years. Their editorials that year were described by scholar W. Joseph Campbell as favoring "

vituperation {{Short pages monitor