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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus – and so much more
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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus – and a future for the U.S.
Dec 25, 2024
Yes, Virginia … and our other 49 states, there is, and will continue to be, a United States of America.
In history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, written to the editor of the New York Sun in 1897, 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon asked for a definitive answer as to whether there is, or is not, a Santa Claus.
Behind Virginia’s letter is a concept we are all too likely to forget in these fraught times. Although she is questioning the existence of a mythical figure, underlying her question is a basic premise with powerful political acumen. It has to do with the spirit of humanity and, when applied to our country, the spirit of our nation.
There are ample issues for disagreement and dissension in the United States, intensified by a political system embracing extremes. Human rights debates, racial equality, gun legislation or the lack thereof, abortion debate, how our children are taught, even how we define an individual — all fodder for argument.
Reeling from our recent election, half our electorate is jubilant with victory, half despondent in defeat. And there is no end to the arguments: controversy over our country’s leadership role in the world, questions about the integrity of our institutions and lawmakers, apprehension about the future, etc. The right veering further right, the left holding desperately to the left. And everybody absolutely believes he or she, or they, are RIGHT!
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We have all been affected by the “skepticism of a skeptical age.” (New York Sun)
But Santa Claus and the United States have more in common than at first glance. That “jolly old elf” and our nation both started as a dream, the embodiment of an idea. And both are sustained by that dream. They may have morphed into skinny mall Santa or been corrupted by contentious claims of “this land is my land and only mine,” but both exist through our belief in them. As Virginia wondered about Santa over a century ago, this holiday season many are wondering and worried about our country.
Yet the core of the United States is something more intangible than its Constitution and laws. Its strength is in the underlying belief in it.
We all love stories. Always, the “story behind the story” involves immersing ourselves in the power of belief.
So, who brings the holiday gifts?
Is it not more important simply to recognize those gifts? Not just our own, but the whole array our families and communities possess by virtue of our U. S. citizenship. How much better than arguing, to abide by that most old-fashioned of sentiments and believe we are “blessed” to live in this country.
Santa Claus and our nation also have this in common. No matter how many letters we send to the North Pole or how many expletives we spew about what is wrong with the U.S., neither acts as Amazon’s Wish Fulfillment Center on steroids. Getting everything we want under the tree is impossible, as impossible as pleasing all of the people all of the time in our vast and diverse country.
Francis Pharcellus Church, the veteran newsman at the Sun, in answering Virginia’s letter, wrote: “there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man … could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance … push aside that curtain … to the beauty and glory beyond.”
Don’t we all love patriotic anthems and holiday carols for their hopeful message of belief in something bigger, whether it is our country or Santa Claus or God? The strength of our nation is not embodied in its headlines and “breaking news.” It is in the hearts of its people. Which is exactly what Church wrote, assuring Virginia of the truth of her belief: “In all this world there is nothing else so real and abiding.”
So, what’s wrong with the United States? Plenty.
But, what’s right with it? Plenty more.
In this season of miracles, let us choose to believe in ourselves.
Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice."
Every year at this time we publish stories that reflect themes and messages of the holiday season. These stories have resonated deeply with our audience in the past perhaps because they contain universal messages that are central to the holiday spirit; messages of love, kindness, hope, generosity that are universal values to peoples of all cultures and backgrounds.
This season we are re-running some popular holiday messages from the past. We hope you enjoyed this update from 2023 as you celebrate this holiday season with family and friends.
All of the staff at The Fulcrum wish you the best this holiday season and hope for peace on Earth and good to all for 2025.
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Juan Algar/Getty Images
Holiday cards vs. the never-ending barrage of social media
Dec 24, 2024
“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” — Annie Dillard
There was a time, not so long ago, when holiday cards were the means by which acquaintances updated us on their lives. Often featuring family photos with everyone dressed up, or perhaps casual with a seaside or mountainside backdrop, it was understood this was a “best shot” curated to feature everybody happily together.
Those holiday cards were eagerly opened, shared and even saved. Occasionally they might broach boundaries of good taste, perhaps featuring a photo of the sender’s new Lexus shining brightly as the Christmas star, or containing more pages than an IKEA assembly pack and listing the fifth grader’s achievements. But most of the time these cards conveyed the annual family update and welcome holiday cheer.
Now social media spreads such cheer throughout the year — holiday cards that do not stop. In the past, we were included on others’ card lists; now we are their “followers,” and they ours. Everyone spends lots of time exhibiting, checking likes, sending “stories,” updating statuses, etc. In other words, time alone with our phones.
Yet, in this constant barrage of “socialization” many feel isolated, even apathetic.
Playing to an audience is often fodder for personal discontent, despite large entourages. Besides, do we really care what our college roommate had for dinner last night when we haven’t seen her for 20 years? There is no real human connection through social media. We are not experiencing life first-hand, but rather in a fast-changing virtual reality.
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It is a great irony of our age that, although we are more connected, we are less so. Look around at an airport, a waiting room, a grocery line. Most people are staring at their phones as if they’re magic mirrors, engaging only with the device in their hand.
And of course there’s this: What are you not doing while fixating on your screen?
Still, what’s the harm?
Plenty, according to social scientists, including increased depression and escalating suicide rates. Young people, whose social network is mostly electronic and whose validation depends upon it, are often taunted and preyed upon by those hiding behind online anonymity.
Teens’ unsophisticated willingness to buy into the glossy accounts of others’ fabulous lives causes increasingly low self-esteem, producing overriding dissatisfaction with their own lives. They compare their relatively tame — normal — lives with those of the more beautiful, more interesting, more sociable, which to their inexperienced eyes looks to be basically everyone else.
Increasing evidence of toxicity and damage is emerging, especially for our children. Johns Hopkins, Yale and others, have published articles on the detrimental effects of introducing electronic media too early, and the surgeon general has called for a warning label on social media platforms.
The surprising thing is that this is surprising. Cause and effect, and comparable to the one-child policy instituted in China in 1979 that resulted in too many baby boys (males, culturally preferred, females aborted.) Years later: not enough girls to marry the surplus of boys. Predictable. Facebook was launched in 2004, opening the door to social platforms, and we are just now starting to realize its detrimental effects?
In the great sweep of social media, illusion reigns with its inherent falseness, from the seemingly innocuous act of simple selection — not posting unflattering photos — to photo manipulation and digital Botox. Yet, have you ever, even once, heard anyone say, “Everyone loves her because she is so perfect”? It is never perfection we connect with: It is humanness.
Thanks to increasing access to this lightning-fast, but tinny, media, we now have young adults who would more likely leave their grandmother at the mall than their cell phone. Phones feel like their connection to the world. But are they? Listening to Grandma’s stories is likely a better, and certainly more rewarding, connection.
Life isn’t curated updates, not just “our story” playing out, but the stories we share, experiencing this time and this place together.
Rarely have we faced anything that so permeates the psyches of our lives, particularly those of the most vulnerable. Now, with brilliant AI breaking over the horizon, we tend to forget what is important. We may be able to find all the answers, but do we even know the questions?
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — Mary Oliver
Curate it and post it? Or live it?
Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice."
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A "War is Over" billboard created by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Flickr
A John Lennon reminder: So this is Christmas
Dec 24, 2024
“Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” a song by John Lennon released in 1971 that has become a Christmas classic, is more relevant today than ever.
Last year during the holiday season, I penned a similar version of this writing in which I said that 2024 would be a year that will test our resolve as a nation and test our democracy. I also noted that the opening verse of the song is a question all of us as Americans should ask:
So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
We asked our readers to sign a pledge for democracy a year ago and were thrilled that thousands pledged to support:
- The right of all American citizens to participate in elections
- The peaceful conduct of all elections and the peaceful transfer of power.
- The treatment of all fellow citizens with dignity and respect, and never with contempt.
As we approach 2025 we should all be thankful that the elections went smoothly and that this January there will be a peaceful transfer of power. However, much work still needs to be done for the third item in the pledge.
And so the song’s message — calling for an end to fear and war, for hope and peace — is still applicable today, especially considering the ongoing conflicts in our nation and wars around the world. And the message of asking what each one of us can do rings as loudly today as ever. Hope is empty unless it is accompanied by helpful action.
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The lyrics remind us that we should strive for a better world, where people of all races and backgrounds can live together in harmony. The song encourages us to look beyond our differences and work towards a common goal of peace and love.
As I listen again to “Happy Xmas,” I am reminded of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, delivered 10 years before Lennon’s song debuted. It has a similar message but with a call to action for us as a people:
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Yes, a call to action for Americans to contribute to their country and to work towards a better future for all. In 1961, when Kennedy delivered the speech, our nation was facing many challenges, as it is today. He inspired millions of people to take action and work towards a better future.
Yet for us to take action we must have hope. The two are inextricably woven together. Hope is a powerful emotion that often inspires us to achieve remarkable things. In 1963, just two years after Kennedy’s inaugural address, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his own famous speech of hope, asking those in attendance to never give up.
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
So today, as we approach Christmas, ask yourself, “What have I done?” And most importantly ask yourself, “What can I do for our country?”
On this Christmas day, reflect on how you can help bring about the dream of a brighter future. Please join us in 2025 so the glory of our nation will be revealed.
Wishing you peace, goodwill and hope.
And of course enjoy John Lennon’s beautiful song:
Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.
Every year at this time we publish stories that reflect themes and messages of the holiday season. These stories have resonated deeply with our audience in the past perhaps because they contain universal messages that are central to the holiday spirit; messages of love, kindness, hope, generosity that are universal values to peoples of all cultures and backgrounds.
This season we are re-running some popular holiday messages from the past. We hope you enjoyed this re-run from 2023 as you celebrate this holiday season with family and friends.
All of the staff at The Fulcrum wish you the best this holiday season and hope for peace on Earth and good to all for 2025.
Keep ReadingShow less
Oscar Wong/Getty Images
The holiday season lends itself to wishful thinking
Dec 24, 2024
The holiday season lends itself to wishful thinking. Last year, with that spirit in mind, I asked Santa to help the American people identify and elect a candidate willing to deliver this speech:
My fellow Americans,
I don’t have all the answers. The problems we face today cannot be solved by a couple of tweets nor by a single party. From artificial intelligence to zoonotic diseases, the threats to our well-being have picked up speed, increased in complexity and spread across borders. I wish simple solutions existed. I admit that I’m often as puzzled and surprised by the size and scale of the problems we face as you.
So, though I cannot promise you answers, I can make the following pledges: We will recruit the brightest experts from across America to help us monitor and understand the risks we face; we will collaborate and coordinate with our allies to ensure that the global community is acting in unison; and, we will update you quickly and honestly along the way.
You should also know that I’m going to make mistakes. Although I’m confident that we’re going to increase our capacity to study and solve problems, these policy issues are like Jenga pieces – moving one piece can have significant and unpredictable effects on the larger structure. In an ideal world, I could prevent my team from causing any structural instability; in our current world, wobbles and shakes are inevitable. I won’t hide those from you. Instead, I’ll let you know about missteps as quickly as I let you know about steps forward. In return, I plead for your patience. I know that’s a lot to ask for in an age of drone-delivered pizzas. Nevertheless, your trust is essential to this approach to governance.
I’m also going to have to make trade-offs – to pick winners and losers. This is the roughest part of my job. Though some decisions will have uncertain results, others will very clearly impact certain communities more so than others. Again, I’d much prefer to only make choices that increase the well-being of everyone. We don’t live in that world. I’ll tell you now that when I confront those trade-offs, I’m going to err on the side of our kids. Decisions made decades ago have fudged up the future. This generation and the ones that follow it will need all the help they can get to overcome the potholes we created and failed to cover.
Obviously that speech was never made and a different type of candidate never emerged.
However it’s never too late to consider a different kind of politician. I hope you’ll join me and millions of other Americans who believe we must commit to a better approach to solving our collective problems.
If you’re still on the fence about whether to join this cause, I urge you to consider how much the current dysfunction has cost us. Our inclination to pick sides means we’re constantly operating at less than full speed. Our bias toward certainty means we’re failing to recognize the substantial uncertainty we face. Our acceptance of a stagnant system means we’re making complex policy problems even more difficult to address.
Let’s dare to learn together, to work together and to bring about a better future together.
Happy holidays.
Frazier is an assistant professor at the Crump College of Law at St. Thomas University and a Tarbell fellow.
Every year at this time we publish stories that reflect themes and messages of the holiday season. These stories have resonated deeply with our audience in the past perhaps because they contain universal messages that are central to the holiday spirit; messages of love, kindness, hope, generosity that are universal values to peoples of all cultures and backgrounds.
Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter
This season we are re-running some popular holiday messages from the past. We hope you enjoyed this re-run from 2023 as you celebrate this holiday season with family and friends.
All of the staff at The Fulcrum wish you the best this holiday season and hope for peace on Earth and good to all for 2025.
Keep ReadingShow less
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