One hundred and twenty-four years ago, an 8-year-old girl wrote a letter to the editor of The Sun, a New York newspaper, asking, “Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?” The answer, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” is the most reprinted newspaper editorial of all time, a classic appearing in dozens of languages—in newspapers, books, movies, and even the Old Farmer’s Almanac, and on posters and stamps. What makes it endure? Is it because “Yes, Virginia” perpetuates the best traditions of Christmas? Is it because it touches on the connection between parents and children? Is it because it makes us long for the days of the great American newspaper? Or is it something more? The author, Sun editorial writer Francis Pharcellus Church, grumbled when he was handed the little girl’s letter. “Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus,” wrote Virginia O’Hanlon. …