21 September 2026 marks 129 years since the New York newspaper The Sun published the editorial later known by the line “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” The headline on the page, on 21 September 1897, was “Is There a Santa Claus?” The text sits on page 6 of that edition, scanned by the Library of Congress in Chronicling America.

The editorial answered a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, who asked whether Santa Claus existed. Her father had urged her to write to the paper. The reply, written by Francis Pharcellus Church, went beyond the literal question: generosity, imagination, things that cannot be reduced to what is visible. Church remained anonymous as the author until after his death in 1906.

The text has been reprinted countless times and entered popular culture. For accuracy and rights, this article does not reproduce the full editorial. The short quotation that remained in use is a line from inside the text, not a modern cover title.

The spelling of the name is Virginia O’Hanlon. This account does not invent a New York ceremony for 21 September 2026 and does not treat an 1897 newspaper as a contemporary website.

The source is the Library of Congress guide and the 21 September 1897 scan of The Sun. Readers can open the original page.

129 years, 21 September 1897, Church, O’Hanlon, The Sun. That is enough.

Image: Detroit Publishing Co., Newspaper Row, New York, c. 1900, public domain, Wikimedia Commons. The newspaper district, not The Sun page of 21 September 1897.

Source consulted: Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus — Library of Congress Research Guide.