On September 21, 1897, the New York Sun published an editorial which began with: “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?” The letter was from a little girl named Virginia O’Hanlon. What was the response?

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