Holidays
Virginia O’Hanlon, Santa Claus Skeptic
Virginia O'Hanlon is famous as the young girl who wrote a letter to the New York Sun in 1897 asking if Santa Claus was real, prompting a reply from Francis P. Church, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." But you have to feel a bit sorry for O'Hanlon, because almost every year after that, until she died in 1971, reporters sought her out to do follow-ups to find out if she still believed in Santa Claus. It must have been frustrating to be asked the same question, year after year.
O'Hanlon as a young girl
O'Hanlon was always very gracious about the repetitive questioning, (seems like she was a very nice lady), and would say that of course she believed in Santa Claus — except for 1935 when she must have been in a dark mood, because in that year she came close to saying that she no longer believed. She told a reporter:
If Santa lives today, he lives only in the childish joy of those he has made happy. How can he live in the crying hearts of those he has forsaken? Little children, such as I was, trust in Santa Claus as a miraculous munificence through which all things are made possible. There will be a tree, there will be loved ones about, gaiety and cherished toys that have been dreamt about for months.
Those whom Santa visits think of Christmas as a beautiful, sacred occasion which it should be — but today seldom is. But for every child tucked into bed Christmas night with his new toy, there are hundreds, no thousands, who huddle in ragged bed clothing sobbing in the night at a fate at best cruel.
In subsequent years she returned to giving simpler, more upbeat answers. The clip below shows her on the Perry Como show in 1960.
And here she is in 1966, looking slightly frazzled. Perhaps the questioning was finally getting to her.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 24, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Customs, Holidays
The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot
What!?! A bummer Christmas song with no happy ending?!? "Last year's broken toys..." Pathetic!
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 21, 2012 -
Comments (3)
Category: Holidays, Tragedy and Pathos, Children, 1930s, Fictional Monsters, Sadness
Deputy Scrooge McTicket
Police in Wichita, Kansas act like Scrooge, giving the man who decked out his truck in Christmas lights a $274 fine. He says he will keep the lights, local police say he will keep getting tickets. Bah humbug!
Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 14, 2012 -
Comments (3)
Category: Holidays
The Ballad of the Harp Weaver
If anyone can explain to me what the hell this song is about, its logic and mythical allegory, and why it was included on Johnny Cash's Xmas album The Christmas Spirit, I'd be grateful. Any easy answers regarding too much drug and/or booze consumption by Cash will be rejected as too facile.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 14, 2012 -
Comments (14)
Category: Drugs, Holidays, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Children, Parents, 1970s
Oh Christmas Tree
Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, golden are thy branches! Bet they paid more to Disney in licencing fees than for the gold.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Nov 25, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Holidays
Happy 4th of July!
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 04, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Fireworks and Pyrotechnics, Holidays
The Wellingborough Carnival
The town of Wellingborough, UK, has been holding a carnival for over 100 years. The old affairs certainly featured things that look weird to us today. Here's a photo album to peruse.
And the Wellingborough Carnival home page reveals this year's affair is on July 7th! Plenty of time to make your plans to attend!
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 22, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Holidays, Parades and Festivals, Weird Theory, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Europe
It’s always a good idea to be armed at Christmas
via christmasyuleblog
Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 28, 2012 -
Comments (11)
Category: Holidays, Advertising, Weapons
Namahage
And you thought clowns were scary! What about Namahage?
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 21, 2012 -
Comments (7)
Category: Holidays, Superstition, Children, Asia, Fictional Monsters
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |